The Exiles
by keelhaulrose
Summary: When they were exiled through an ancient arch they had no idea who or what they'd find on the other side. Hermione doesn't know what to think of the two men at first, but soon finds their fate in her hands. Crossover Harry Potter with Star Wars: TFA
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I've had quite a few people ask where I've been recently, and my answer is "writing this freaking fic". A million thanks to Ursi for convincing me to take it** **(I love you). This is dedicated to her.**

 **This fic is in 8 parts and completely finished. I'll post one a day until it's fully posted.**

 **Obviously I've never written anything for Star Wars in the past. I probably never will again. Please don't tear me apart, it's not my usual fandom.**

 **Warnings: There is a threesome in this fic. There are a bunch of lemons (it was written for the SmutFest after all).**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter or Star Wars.**

The transport jolted as it entered the planet's atmosphere. Hux planted his feet and straightened his spine in order to keep from falling off the small, uncomfortable seat. Across from him Kylo Ren tightened his grip on the narrow metal arm rests, but his focus didn't waver from a small spot of rust on the floor. His mother sat next to him, her hand hovering over her knee as if she were trying to decide if she could touch her son to give him comfort, but she must have known that Ren would not appreciate the gesture. Next to Hux sat Rey, her body tense as she stared at Ren with an odd mix of sympathy and fear in her eyes. Next to her was Finn, as Hux found he liked to be called, who was invited only because his former station under Hux seemed to entitle him a spot. The final spot in the small transport was occupied by some lower-rung official from the Resistance whose name Hux didn't bother to remember, the "official witness" present to make sure that their sentence was actually carried out. As the transport slowed Hux did his best to straighten the prison-issue gray pants and shirt that he had been given, and force himself not to glare at Ren's favored black tunic ensemble, which had been returned to him as a special favor by Leia. Hux knew there was no point in complaining about favoritism, it was not going to be long before that favoritism would end and they'd be on level ground.

With a final jolt the transport touched down and the engine whined to a halt. Ren and Hux stood simultaneously and walked out the hatch as soon as it opened. Across a dusty, stone-filled field stood the arch, the last thing standing on this long-abandoned planet, the only thing that could stand up to the harsh weather conditions and occasional high winds. But the air was still that day, and Hux kept his back straight and his face stoic as he approached the stones with the nearly imperceptible shimmering mist within. A few feet from it he turned, Ren mimicking his movements despite lacking his grace. The group stopped about fifteen feet away from the relic, and for a minute no one spoke for staring at the mist and speculating on what the next few minutes might bring.

"Armitage Hux and Ben Solo," the official said, holding an official looking piece of paper. "You have both been convicted of crimes against humanity, and have been sentenced to exile by travel through the Arch. At this time you may give a final public statement."

Ren shot him a look of irritation. Hux considered raising one final objection to being exiled in such an untested manner based only on ancient rumors, but knew it would be futile and merely shook his head once. If this arch worked it meant he could go on living, he didn't think that the Resistance's reluctance to give him the death penalty would extend if they were unable to find a way to expel him from the galaxy.

"Okay. I will stay until you have entered the Arch and started your exile, however, I will do so from a distance in accordance to your wishes, General Organa. Good luck, gentlemen," he nodded and turned to retreat toward the transport. Hux was sure he heard Ren let off a growl. He half-turned back to the arch, knowing that Ren would be getting final good-byes, but there was no one for him. Leia had contacted his mother, who couldn't wait to distance herself from her son and refused to visit him even before he was transported to this planet. To his surprise Finn approached him.

"Are you going to gloat about your victory one final time?" Hux asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Finn shook his head. "But I know no one else is going to talk to you, so I wanted to say that I don't agree with this method."

"Your objection is noted. I'm sure you'll lose sleep over this."

"You know I won't. But that doesn't mean that I agree with it."

Knowing it was the most civil response he would get for the day Hux just nodded once, and Finn retreated quickly. Behind him he heard Rey spouting words of encouragement and support to Ren, who seemed only marginally interested in the platitudes. When she was done she hugged him, and to Hux's surprise he returned the gesture. Finn took Rey by the hand and they started back toward the transport, stopping about halfway there to turn around and watch. Leia was the last one to step up, and Hux fully turned away to give Ren a little privacy with his mother, but he could still hear every word that passed between them.

"I'm sorry," Leia started.

Ren scoffed. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"I fought as hard as I could to keep you here," she murmured.

"I did too much, and I don't deserve your pity."

"You are my son. You will always get my pity."

There was a moment silence. "Do you really think this is going to work?" Ren asked softly.

"The stories are pretty well documented," she replied.

"That people went in," he pointed out. "There's no evidence that there's something on the other side."

She let off a soft wounded noise, and decided to change the subject. "I brought these for you," she said, and Hux turned enough to see her holding out a canvas bag. Ren reached in and pulled out his battered and cracked mask.

"I thought you'd want that," she said with a soft smile.

"I can't believe you kept it," he muttered, then, after a short pause he added, "You want it gone."

"I don't want to remember Kylo Ren," she said firmly. "I want to remember Ben."

He sighed, then pulled something else from the bag that Hux immediately recognized as Ren's saber, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from questioning her sanity for returning it to him.

"R2 looked at it," she said. "It should be okay... just in case."

Ren weighed the thing in his hand, then carefully fastened it to his belt so it was accessible. Hux hadn't even thought to ask for some form of weapon to protect himself against anything they might find on the other side of the Arch. He made a mental note to not stray too far from Ren until he could find a way to defend himself. Ren might be unstable at the best of times, but there was also a part of him that was loathe to let go of the familiar, and on the other side of the Arch Hux would be the only familiar thing, so Ren would be protective and would hopefully still possess the skills to keep them alive at least long enough to assess their situation.

For a minute no one moved, all eyes focusing on the gentle swirl of the mist in the Arch. When the moment started to weigh too heavily on Hux and he could feel the first tendrils of fear start to creep around him he turned to Ren.

"It's time," he said firmly.

Leia gave no warning before throwing her arms around her son. "Take care of yourself," she whispered, not letting her emotions show save for a strain in her voice.

Ren could only nod.

"I love you."

Ren looked pained, and hugged her back. "Take care of yourself, too, mom," he muttered before carefully extracting himself and going to stand on Hux's right side. Out of the corner of his eye Hux saw Ren putting the mask over his face.

"Will I never be free of your dramatics?" Hux sighed.

"Ready?" Ren's mechanical voice replied.

Hux straightened, and nodded once. In unison they stepped toward the Arch. Hux drew in a breath and heard Ren do the same through a crack in the mask as they stepped through.

At first Hux was convinced that nothing had happened, that they had merely stepped through to the other side. But a cursory glance around made him realize that he was very much mistaken. While their travel had been seamless, they were certainly in a different place, a dark, tiered room, which was all the time he had for observations as they found the room already occupied. Two people, a man and a woman, were whirling around to see what had just happened, drawing sticks, which they pointed directly at Hux and Ren. Hux almost instinctively knew what would happen next and stepped quickly to the side as Ren drew his saber, turned it on, and held it in a defensive stance. A jet of light erupted from the man's stick, and Ren's hand shot up, halting the light mere inches from his outstretched fingers. Ren's chest heaved with the effort of holding the light as if it were fighting to get to him with the same amount of effort he was putting into keeping it from him, and he had just started to move to duck out of the way when the woman seemed to get over her shock and sent a second jet in his direction. With all his effort going to stop the first there was nothing he could do to stop the second, which hit him squarely in the chest, and he was knocked back against the stone of the Arch, and he crumpled to the ground and didn't move, his saber falling silent inches from his hand.

Hux raised an eyebrow at his fallen compatriot, then turned to the man and the woman. "You will have to forgive Ren, he has a penchant for theatrics," he said, trying not to move for fear of getting hit with a jet of light himself.

The man and the woman cautiously approached him, sticks still raised.

"Bill?" the woman asked, looking confused.

"Gen... Armitage Hux, ma'am," he nodded. "And that would be Kylo Ren," he nodded toward Ren's body as the man grabbed the saber and tossed it to the woman before producing a pair of cuffs and placing them on Ren's wrists as he began to stir.

"Hermione Granger," the woman replied cautiously. "And he's Harry Potter. Where did you come from?"

"The other side of the Arch," he replied matter-of-factly.

"The other side of the Arch is the land of the dead," she replied skeptically. "You certainly don't look dead."

"I am quite sure I was alive when I stepped through moments ago."

She looked at him as though she wanted to debate him, but turned her attention to the saber. "What is this?" she asked, examining it.

"A lightsaber. Kindly point it away from me if you intend to turn it on. And watch the sides, as Ren wasn't content to just make a saber, he had to maximize the amount of damage he could produce during one of his rants."

She seemed to decide against turning it on, and put in her bag before turning to Harry, who was helping Ren to his feet.

"Does the helmet come off?" she asked.

Ren stood stoically for a moment before he replied, "Yes."

"Do it," Harry ordered.

It took Ren a moment to undo it with his hands bound together, but eventually he managed to pull it off. A gash had opened on one of his temples, and blood dripped down his face. Hermione seemed to move automatically, pulling a towel from her bag and dabbing the wound.

"May I heal it?" she asked.

Ren nodded, and she raised her stick. Hux wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not, but he couldn't be, as the wound stitched itself together and the blood cleared. His eyes met Ren's, and he could tell that Ren was trying to work out what kind of Force these two were using, but it didn't take much to realize that their power was concentrated in the sticks they carried. For a moment both men gave consideration to attempting to overpower Harry and Hermione and taking the sticks, which would at least give Ren the momentary advantage, but Hux shook his head once to discourage him. For all they knew there were more like them outside the room, and there were only so many that Ren would be able to overpower at once and Hux knew he would be mostly useless.

"Why did you come through the arch?" Hermione asked.

"We were exiled," Ren said before Hux could give a less damning answer.

"Exiled?" she repeated, anger rising in her voice. "Someone's using the arch to send us their problems? Why were you..."

"The Arch goes two ways?" Harry interrupted.

"Harry," she murmured haltingly.

"I only know that it goes from our galaxy to... wherever this is," Hux answered. "I have not tried going back through."

"A man went through..." Harry started.

"Harry..." Hermione hissed.

"... we weren't sure he was dead when he went. Sirius Black. Have you heard of him?"

"No," Hux shook his head. "No one under my command had a name remotely like that, it sounds like a rebel name if anything, and I had no need to know most of their names."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"What do we do with them?" Harry asked.

"The only thing I can think of is to bring them to Severus and see if he has any ideas."

"I could bring them to Azkaban, and then have Snape go evaluate them there."

"How are you going to justify bringing a Muggle to Azkaban?"

"So we should go to the Minister?"

"He's out of the country at that convention. Who would we go to with this?"

"Someone in this department?" he shrugged.

"It's Saturday. Even the Unspeakables don't work on Saturdays," she shot back. "And I don't know anyone who works down here, do you?"

"Severus it is, then," he shrugged. "I don't think there's much else we can do."

"Come on, then," Hermione motioned for Hux and Ren to follow her. She lead them up a set of stairs and through a door that didn't seem to have a handle. Hux noticed gouges and scorch marks on some of the tiers as they passed and knew some form of battle had happened in that room. When he looked around the next room he stopped dead as he caught sight of a large tank.

"Are those brains?" he asked in amazement and disgust.

"Yes, and I'd stay well away if I were you. The human brain can be quite dangerous," Hermione replied with a tug on his elbow to keep him moving.

Hux decided right there that whatever this world was, the humans inhabiting it were mad, though they appeared to also be Force-users, and therefore they were mad people he would be very careful around. After the brain room he was apprehensive to venture into another room, but the next was large and circular, with torches of blue flame dotting the walls. As soon as Harry, who was bringing up the rear, passed through the door it slammed shut and the walls began to rotate, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed until the flames were nothing but a blue blur and Hux knew there was no way that anyone could keep an eye on any single door. He glanced at Ren, who was clearly apprehensive, and noticed that his fingers were extended toward Hermione's bag. He was trying to use the Force to get his saber back, having decided that these two people were not to be trusted, his mind already trying to devise an escape on an unknown and possibly hostile planet, but to his dismay the bag seemed to prevent the saber from coming.

As suddenly as the walls had started turning they came to an abrupt halt. Without pause Hermione held her stick in her upturned palm, and it spun three times before pointing to the third door on the right, and she led them through into a darkened hallway of black stone. Hux and Ren looked around, trying to memorize the place in case they needed to get back for some reason, but there were too many twists and turns. They took a short ride upwards in a lift, exiting in a large atrium dominated by a massive golden statue.

"Security?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Marvin," he replied. "I'd bet my last knut he's taking a nap in the breakroom on level four."

"At least this part is easy. How do we get them out?"

"Side-along?" he replied, sounding uncertain.

"You take him?" she asked, nodding at Ren, and he nodded in affirmation.

"Hold on," she said, holding her arm out to Hux. "This will probably feel weird."

Hesitantly Hux took a hold, and without warning he got the feeling he was being sucked through a tube. As quickly as it started it was over, and he landed hard on a stony road. He took a couple steps to steady himself, and with a twinge of satisfaction he heard Ren curse as he stumbled into a low brick wall.

"Come on," Hermione hissed, grabbing Hux's sleeve and pulling him through a tall hedge. A large garden filled with dangerous looking plants suddenly sprang into view, but Hermione seemed to know where she was going, cutting a zig zag pattern through the plants, once pulling Hux away from what looked like a rather innocuous stump. As they came to the stoop of a tiny cottage he could just make out a brass nameplate that read "S. Snape, Master of Potions" before the door swung open and a dark, irritated man appeared behind it.

"Thank you for the warning, Miss Granger," the man snarled.

"Trust me, I wasn't planning on visiting," she shot back. "I need to talk to you about someone."

The man looked over Hux quickly, but his eyes lingered on Ren for a moment before he stepped aside and motioned for them to come in. Hermione prodded Hux forward, guiding him to a sitting room where she motioned for him to sit on a sofa, Harry pushing Ren down next to him.

"And where did you find them?" the man asked.

"They came out of the Veil," Harry replied.

The man's eyebrow arched so high it disappeared under a layer of his greasy black hair.

"It's true, Severus," Hermione replied softly. "We were there, laying a wreath for..." she trailed off, shot a sympathetic look at Harry, then continued. "We had just started to leave when we heard footsteps, and we turned around to find these two coming out of the Veil. This one," she pointed at Hux, "doesn't seem to want to give much information, but we've gathered they were exiled from whatever is on the other side."

"And was there a reason you decided to arrest the other?" Severus asked.

"He tried to fight us. He..." she looked unsure of herself.

"We attacked first," Harry admitted.

"That doesn't seem like conduct becoming of an Auror," Severus sneered.

"A man wearing all black and a mask appeared in front of us. I'm sure you could imagine how we reacted to _that_ particular sight," he snapped.

"He caught a Stupefy curse mid-air," Hermione added.

"He blocked it?" Severus asked

"No. He _stopped_ it, right in front of him. He doesn't have a wand, he just used his hand. And he had this," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the saber. Severus looked skeptical, so she carefully pointed it away from anything and pressed the button, and the saber came to life, bathing the darkened room in red light. She held it for a couple seconds before turning it off and stuffing it back into her bag.

"But you managed to subdue him?"

"He couldn't catch the second."

"I see. So you decided your brilliant plan was to bring them to me?"

"He's practically radiating dark magic," she pointed at Ren. "I thought if anyone had seen anything like this before it would be you."

"I suggested taking them to Azkaban," Harry added. "Hermione thought it might be difficult considering I have no good explanation for the Muggle, and the load of duffers they have running that place they'd send us right back to the Ministry, and I think we need to get this dealt with as soon as possible. But maybe we should reconsider. They had to have done something horrible to get exiled here."

"Perhaps they care to enlighten us," Severus crossed his arms and stared at the two on his sofa.

Hux's mind raced, trying to decide what to tell them. Lying was not his strong suit, but he was skilled at lying by omission. He didn't think things would go well if he admitted everything, but there was enough he had done that would seem exile-worthy that perhaps they'd take it as a good enough explanation and not prod further. He was about to answer when Ren spoke up.

"You wouldn't understand," he hissed.

"I'm sure I could get the general idea," Severus shot back.

"Don't tell them," he ordered Hux. "The mere fact that we were exiled should be information enough."

"They're hiding something," Harry muttered.

"Brilliant observation Mr. Potter," Severus snapped, though his eyes did not leave Hux and Ren, and Hux got the unpleasant feeling he was sitting in class with a rather strict teacher who just caught him with a contraband item. "You gentlemen could continue not to talk, however that would warrant an immediate trip to Azkaban and, as a former resident of said institution, I would warn you that to say the place is uncomfortable would be an understatement. It will bring up every bad memory you ever had, every wrong you've ever done, and play it in your mind as many times as it takes to go mad. The darker your past, the quicker you will become afraid of your own mind."

Hux shifted uncomfortably, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Ren start to examine the floor.

"We do have another option. The one seems skilled enough in mental magic that he has some rudimentary barriers up, however the Muggle has no such protection. It wouldn't take anyone with the ability much effort to cast the spell to get in and get the truth."

"Your prison can't hold me," Ren said, and Hux hoped Severus did not hear the note of uncertainty in his voice. "I will get out and be far away from you before you realize I am gone. Don't tell them anything, General."

"General?" Hermione murmured, but Snape cut across her.

"If you are so confident in your abilities I will be happy to escort you to Azkaban," he replied, his voice low and dangerous. "I'll even stay to bear witness your great escape. If you are so sure, say the word and we will be there within minutes."

Ren stared at him, but said nothing.

"Miss Granger," he barked, and she startled. Snape conjured a chair across from Hux and motioned for Hermione to sit.

"Why should I be the one to do it?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"Several reasons. First, anyone who is able to make their parents forget, then remember their existence is obviously skilled in mental magic. Second, Potter does not have the skills, and I do not have the finesse that you have, an attempt by either of us would likely leave him... incapacitated. And, finally, if either of them react poorly to this Potter and I are both more qualified than you to subdue and restrain."

"Fine," she sighed, taking the seat and closing her eyes to prepare herself.

"A word of wisdom," he looked at Hux. "It would be wise for you to draw the relevant memories up for her. The mind is not an open book for her to flip pages at will. There are ways to get in and find the information, but even one as cautious and gentle as Hermione could destroy your mind in the process of trying to find it."

Hux swallowed, starting to think of everything he might want to show Hermione, but before he had a chance to really focus on something she opened her eyes and locked gazes with him, and he could only take in that her eyes had flecks of gold in them before she whispered, " _Legillimens_."


	2. Chapter 2

_The shock of what she saw entering Hux's memories nearly drove her out in an attempt to cope. She just managed to keep him in some specific, seemingly inconsequential memory as she took a moment to adjust._

Focus _, she told herself._ What do you know so far?

 _She decided to make a mental list, something she could tick off for Harry and Severus when she was done looking in Hux's memories._

 _First- Hux was a General. Ren was... she wasn't really sure what Ren was. The memory she was in had the two talking, something about a droid somewhere called Jakku. From the way Ren talked to Hux it seemed he did not answer to him, no general would let an underling speak like that to them, and Ren lacked any of the uniform and rigidity of those around them. Something she would need to ask about later._

 _Second- Ren was extremely threatening. People gave him a wide berth and even Hux seemed cautious about how far he was willing to push him. She saw a flash of a report that Ren had wrecked a room in his anger, so there was some instability in him as well. Hux, on the other hand, was everything you'd expect from a military commander- poised, decisive, and strict._

 _Third, and most impressive, they were in space. Traveling from one planet to another like people would get on an airplane. This was the part Hermione needed to process the longest, so she took a few seconds to wonder at the stars beyond a giant window before letting the memories continue._

 _It quickly became apparent that Hux and Ren were on the same side of some war. She decided not to delve into the complexities for fear of staying in the Muggle's mind too long, but managed to get that they both took orders from a giant, holographic image that Hermione immediately and involuntarily nicknamed 'Space Voldemort'. Between Ren's hostility and Space Voldemort she was sure that whatever side Hux and Ren were on was not her preferred side. The military was predominant in Hux's mind, his father was a General as well, he went to military academies as a child, and was brought up with the expectation of being a leader. Once or twice she caught sight of a flash of dissonance on his face when his father, a teacher, or higher-up was talking, but it never lasted more than a fraction of a second. Soldiers do not question the commands of their leaders. Hux would not either. He was given command of the Finalizer (_ there's an endearing name _, she thought) and tasked with building some kind of giant weapon. Everything she saw was fascinating, and if she weren't afraid of driving Hux insane from the experience she'd happily stay for hours and try to figure out what the war was about. A memory came up, and she immediately felt Hux panic and try to think of something else, but a quick flex of her own mind stopped him. She knew this must be important, something that might explain the exile, if Hux was so desperate to hide it from her._

 _The sight was impressive. Thousands of soldiers, most dressed in identical all-white uniforms, stood in perfect rows. Ships stood on the outside of the group like giant, deadly sentries. It was a massive display of prowess, and Hux was in front of them all, on a massive stage populated with officers standing statue-still, speaking passionately. Hermione was standing next to a tall soldier wearing a chrome-coated version of the armor. Looking around, however, she didn't see anyone who looked like Ren either with or without his helmet. She was in such awe of the spectacle of it all that she wasn't really paying attention to what Hux was saying, and had to force herself forward to listen._

 _"This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand..." he was saying passionately._

 _Hermione looked around, even going so far as to walk to the edge of the stage and look down, expecting a large bank of canons or something, but she still could see no weapon. She could feel Hux fighting her, trying to get her away from the memory, trying to show her something else, but she couldn't leave, she had to see this weapon..._

 _"FIRE!" Memory Hux commanded and the troops did an about face, and for a few seconds she thought nothing was going to happen. She even looked around, wondering if it was just an act, but then there was a loud rumbling sound, and she looked at where the troops were looking at the rumbling became a roar and a beam of red light suddenly burst from the ground. She knew then that the weapon was much larger than she could have ever imagined. They had weaponized a planet. She looked behind her, and saw Hux watching the light with a proud and excited expression cut into his features despite his attempt to look composed. She turned back to watch the light and it streaked away from the planet. Ice ran through her veins just imagining the damage that was about to be wrought, and she squinted, trying to find the target. To her horror the beam of light split into five and, as the breath was stolen from her lungs and her heart dropped, she watched as the beams made contact with their targets, leaving the nearly imperceptible remnants of five explosions behind. She didn't need to ask to know what had been hit, and she tore herself from Hux's mind as her stomach threatened to empty itself._

Severus just got the bin under her as she leaned forward and lost her lunch. In front of her Hux had slid to the ground, the violence of her exit from his mind had knocked him cold. Harry crouched by her, rubbing her back as she was sick. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Severus looking between her and Hux, unrest clearly written on his face. Ren studied her face and swallowed hard.

"Kill them, Severus," she managed when the vomiting subsided.

Harry's hand stopped, and Severus' eyes widened.

"Kill them?" he repeated slowly.

"I saw what they did," she replied, breathing heavily and trying not to be sick again. "It was horrible! They had this weapon..." she trailed off, unable to stem the tears falling down her cheeks.

"What kind of weapon?" Harry asked.

"Huge," she managed. "Oh, God, Harry, they blew up, they destroyed five..." she trailed off as she was sick again from the memory.

"Five? Five what?" he asked cautiously when she stopped. "Five people?"

" _Planets_ ," she answered.

Harry's jaw dropped and he looked up at Snape, who was staring in shock at Hux's limp form.

"I wasn't paying the best attention," she continued softly. "He was saying something about stopping some resistance. They had turned an entire planet into a weapon. And _he's_ the one who gave the command to fire," she finished with a harsh nod at a still unmoving Hux.

"Where was the other?" Severus asked softly.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I know they were on the same side, they both took orders from Space Voldemort..."

" _Who?_ " Harry asked.

"This giant holographic projection that greatly resembled him both in appearance and manner," she replied.

"Hermione?" Snape said softly.

She looked up, biting her lip.

"Do you really wish me to kill them?"

She was on the verge of nodding when Ren interrupted with a soft, "Wait."

The three turned to look at him, but he was looking at Hermione.

"Enter my mind," he said.

"Why?" she asked, disgusted.

"You only got part of the story. If you're going to condemn us to death, at least get the whole thing."

She looked at Severus.

"Do it," her former professor ordered. "If you request that I kill them again I will, but I agree, you need to hear the whole story."

She exhaled loudly, but slowly moved her chair so she was sitting in front of Ren.

"You're blocking me," she muttered. "You have to relax or I'm not going to even try."

Ren scowled, but lowered his guard enough Hermione felt as though she could enter his mind safely. " _Legillimens_ ," she whispered.

 _The room was obviously some sort of living quarters, though at first Hermione thought it might be a futuristic prison cell. Ren stood, mask in hands, staring out a small square window, seemingly lost in thought. There was a bed that looked hard and uninviting, a couple sparse shelves with only the occasional book or electronic looking device upon them, and to one side a tiny bathroom. There was, however, something out of the ordinary- a table of sorts that held the twisted remains of a charred helmet. She moved to examine the thing closer when the door slid open and Hux stepped in without a word, waiting until the door slid shut behind him to speak._

 _"I heard you were back from your training," he said cautiously._

 _"I have my orders, General," Ren replied, his voice monotone._

 _"As do I," Hux nodded, looking around almost nervously, his eyes lingering on the saber that hung from Ren's belt before continuing. "Snoke wishes me to build another."_

 _What 'another' meant seemed to go without speaking, and Hermione was sure they were talking about the planet-weapon. Ren shot him a glance over his shoulder._

 _"I remember once, in the Academy, hearing a quote that went something like 'Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results'," Hux continued slowly, carefully gauging Ren's reaction. There was a long, tense pause before Ren broke the silence once more._

 _"Seems apt," he muttered._

 _"Indeed," Hux replied, a hint of relief in his voice. "Is it safe to assume your orders are along a similar vein?"_

 _"They are."_

 _Hux moved away from the door, as though it was capable of hearing him, and stood with his back against the wall with the window, only looking at Ren out of the corner of his eye. "I am finding difficulty in following my latest set of instructions," he admitted in a voice barely above a whisper. "Three times something of that nature has been built, and three times it was brought down. While we may not have accomplished everything it was designed to do, we did enough with Starkiller Base to weaken the rebels that the time it takes to rebuild would do nothing but give them a chance to rebuild as well, and learn from our past. And that is not to mention that a fair number of our already limited resources were destroyed with Starkiller, and we simply do not have the ability to construct anything else of that caliber until we can secure more."_

 _"Did you mention this to him?"_

 _"He was... quite insistent that we continue with the plan."_

 _Ren swallowed, but did not respond._

 _"Am I correct in assuming that your orders involve the girl?"_

 _A curt nod._

 _"You are loathe to follow them," he added. "I can't say I understand why, but I am sure you have your reasons. It seems we both are unhappy with our assignments."_

 _Ren didn't move._

 _Hux turned and looked out the window and watched a small cargo ship passing by. "I believe in the Order, Ren," he said. "And I believe that our orders could be detrimental to the future of the Order in our current decimated and barely structured state. I fear more troopers will consider going the route of FN-2187 if they have any similar feelings. These orders... they will do nothing but strengthen the rebels."_

 _"And what is your proposal?"_

 _Hux's jaw tightened, and he carefully drained any hint of emotion from his face and stance before replying in a soft but firm voice, "The Order will not survive Snoke. I am loathe to sacrifice more men and resources following his idea of power for the sake of power only. He has lost the vision that made me believe in what we are doing. I fear it is already too late, though if it is not the longer Snoke is in power the closer we get to crossing that line."_

 _"And you know you have no ability to kill him yourself, so you have come to me, admitted to thoughts of the highest treason, in order to convince me to kill him for you," Ren guessed coldly._

 _"I..." he hesitated. "I do not think even you could do the job by yourself."_

 _There was a long, weighted pause, and Hermione knew that the men knew what had just been implied, even if it was lost on her._

 _"She will not listen. None of them will. You know what happened just before Starkiller was destroyed," he turned and Hermione could see the light catch the angry pink of the new scar crossing his face. "They will never listen to me."_

 _"It may be our only chance..."_

 _"There is no chance!" he shot back. "In ninety-nine scenarios out of one hundred this ends with our deaths or imprisonment..."_

 _"But there is that one chance out of one hundred," he interrupted. "Whereas right now there is none. If I wish to have any chance of the Order actually being a success where so many others have failed we cannot have a madman at the helm. There is no way of doing that ourselves, we must turn to them to help us destroy Snoke so we can continue the path we are_ supposed _to be on."_

 _"And if we do wind up dead or imprisoned?"_

 _"We have given the others a chance. There are worse things than giving up our lives for the Order."_

 _Ren's eyes squinted and he looked down at his helmet. Something on Hux's belt began to beep insistently, and he scowled._

 _"I have a plan to get away at least long enough to make the attempt," he finished. "I will send word," he added before striding from the room._

 _Hermione became acutely aware that there was more than one Ren in the room, though the one who had just come up next to her looked more hardened than the one still at the window._

 _"Let me guess," she said softly, "It turned into one of those ninety-nine scenarios."_

 _"My m... General Organa was too smart to fall for any of his manipulations, though I'm not quite sure it would have mattered at that point. By the time I killed Snoke the Order was already so destabilized from rebel attacks that we were captured within the day, tried within the month, and exiled within a year."_

 _"You killed Snoke?" she raised an eyebrow._

 _"With their help," he nodded. "Hux was right, I never would have gotten close enough without them."_

 _"You said you didn't think they'd work with you," she pointed out._

 _"Sometimes you can forgive someone long enough to get what is needed to be done finished," he replied. "They made sure I was arrested shortly after Snoke died, and Hux was already imprisoned at that point."_

 _Hermione bit her lip and studied the memory Ren. "What happened on Starkiller before it was destroyed?" she asked._

 _The words caused his mind to wander, flashes of memories zooming by, until she caught a snippet of a large, dark room, Ren crossing a perilous looking walkway, and a voice calling out "Ben!"_

 _"No!" Ren snapped, and the memory was forcibly cut off, plunging them into darkness._

 _Hermione opened her mouth to ask who Ben was, but thought better of it. "You helped them destroy this Snoke and they still exiled you?" she asked instead._

 _Another couple flashes of memories came before he could stop them, the longest of which Hermione could see bodies littering the ground, and she couldn't help but hold in a gasp as she saw how young many of the bodies were._

 _"I've done too much," he said as darkness overcame them again. "So many called for my execution, it was only the... compassion of those at the head of the resistance which saved my life."_

 _"Do you regret any of it?" she asked, unable to stop the words from forming._

 _"Does it matter?" he shot back. "Hux and I did what we did. We only realized too late that we were under the influence of a madman, and by then... you saw what happened."_

 _"But you turned on Snoke," she pointed out. "And you seem realistic enough to know you weren't returning to the Order after doing that."_

 _"I thought I would be dead," he confessed. "I thought she... but it doesn't matter. I didn't turn on Snoke for what he did to the Order. That was Hux's concern."_

 _There was a pause where she looked at him expectantly. "Then why did you?" she prompted._

 _He glared at her. "I want you out of my mind," he ordered._

She blinked and found herself sitting back in the chair in Severus' house, eyes still locked with Ren's. They stared each other down for several long seconds before a groan caught her attention and she saw Hux slowly starting to stir.

"Hermione?" Severus asked softly.

"They live," she said firmly. "For now. Any indication that they're going back to their old ways and I'll kill them myself," she warned.

"What are you going to do with them?" he asked.

She bit her lip as she thought. "I can't just let them out into the Muggle world, they have no idea... I guess I'll have to teach them myself. They can stay with me for a while."

Severus snorted. "I wish you luck in telling Minerva."

"When I present the alternatives of letting them out on their own I'm sure she'll see reason. Besides, who better to teach them how this world works than me?"


	3. Chapter 3

Hux was more impressed by Minerva McGonagall than he would ever be willing to admit. Throughout Hermione's (severely limited) explanation the older witch's face did not change, did not betray a single emotion, did not question anything. He got the impression that the older witch would immediately know if Hermione were telling a lie. Then again, to Hermione's credit, she knew how to give just enough information while withholding the most damning tidbits. She admitted Hux and Ren were exiles, convicted of 'war crimes' so heinous that the choice was made to completely kick them out of the galaxy, but Hermione failed to mention exactly what those war crimes were.

"You wish them to stay here," the Headmistress said slowly, a statement rather than a question.

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione nodded. "They don't know anything about our planet, about our way of life, and they are accustomed to a quite different way of doing things. I don't think things would end well if I just let them loose on the Muggles," she added, shooting a look at Ren.

"There is no way the Board of Governors would let this stand if they caught wind of it."

"I'm sure reasonable misinformation would placate them," she replied slowly.

McGonagall looked over her spectacles at the younger witch. "Some days I am reminded of that young girl sitting next to Harry Potter, the one who would twist the rules when it suited her."

Hermione seemed to know it was time to stay quiet and look as contrite as possible. Hux tightened his jaw to hide the smile that threatened to creep across his features. There seemed to be much more to this girl than he had originally thought, and he was suddenly determined to find out as much about Hermione Granger as possible. He glanced at Ren, who couldn't hide the intrigue from his face. Something must be going on that ran so much deeper than even Hux could tell. It was almost worth dealing with Ren to figure out what it was.

"You will make up a convincing story, Miss Granger, and inform me at once," McGonagall finally said.

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione replied, her tone and expression even.

"If I find out this has negatively affected your classes..."

"It won't, ma'am," she interrupted confidently.

She turned quickly to Hux and Ren. "And if either of you cause any problems I will have you out of here before you have a chance to object," she warned them sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," Hux nodded, and was surprised to hear Ren replying in unison.

"You are dismissed," she sighed, leaning back in her chair and waving a hand.

The group quickly filed out of the office and down the spiral steps. As it was night the large castle was eerily quiet, and Hux hoped it stayed that way. Within steps of entering the building they had been accosted by a rather rude little ghost who had annoyed Ren to the point where he had sent a large chunk of stone banister sailing at the poltergeist's face, and it was only Hermione's quick wandwork that stopped the destruction. Hux needed the quiet of the journey through the torch-lit halls to gather his thoughts and continue to suppress the irrational feeling as though he had somewhere to be that Hermione claimed was one of the castle's defenses. He had been humiliated as they approached the school, insisting that it was nothing more than ruins despite both Hermione and Ren insisting that what he saw as a pile of teetering rock structures was, in fact, a large and inhabited castle. As they walked he tried to keep track of where Hermione was leading them, but he knew quickly that it was a pointless task, as the staircases moved behind them and the inhabitants of the paintings followed, trying to figure out who the two new figures were.

"Here," Hermione said, opening a door between two suits of armor. "This is my classroom," she said as they entered the darkened space. Hux and Ren could make out some diagrams on the wall, and several electronic looking devices were laid out on a long table under the windows. "I teach Muggle Studies, which means I teach about the world of people who do not have magic. When I was in school this was an elective course, but since the war Minerva deemed it fit for it to become one of the core classes, so I have a full schedule of students. I will give you a copy of my schedule, and ask that you stay out of this room when I am teaching. I will be giving you private lessons after classes and on weekends, especially you, Mr. Hux, since that will be how you live once you have left Hogwarts. I'll be giving you," she nodded to Ren, "additional instruction in our magical ways. I would like to see what of your abilities are compatible with our magic. Come along," she finished without warning, crossing the room and opening a door. "This is my office, I don't get many students visiting, but if I do I'll be in here. Mostly I just use it to mark papers and plan lessons. Through here, please," she motioned toward another door, but she did not open it. Instead she grabbed Ren's hand and pressed it to the brick beside the handle and touched her wand next to his fingers.

"What are you doing?" Ren demanded.

"Making it so you can enter my living quarters without needing me to escort you," she replied, dropping his hand and motioning for Hux's so she could repeat the actions with him. When she was finished she stepped back, and the brick seemed to melt into the floor, revealing the rooms beyond.

"I see Minerva has already made the adjustments in here," she muttered, looking into a room to the left where two four-poster beds were being made up by short creatures wearing what appeared to be tea towels with the school crest on them. Hux frowned as he realized that he would be sharing a room with Ren, and looked over to see that Ren didn't appear thrilled by the arrangement either. Neither one said anything as Hermione continued her quick tour.

"This is the sitting area," she motioned around the room they were in, where three walls were covered with books, the fourth holding a large fireplace with a couch and several chairs surrounding it. "Through the door," she pointed, "is a small kitchen area. If you want to do cooking you're going to have to let me know, I only have enough to make myself and a couple guests some tea. That way," she pointed to the right, "is my living quarters. If you go through either side to the back there is a bathroom, which is probably connected to your room by now. The house elves are very helpful, but don't respond well to rude behavior. As they're the ones who provide most meals and can help get you almost anything you need I advise you treat them well. Marvi is in charge of teacher's quarters..."

"Did Professor Granger call Marvi?" one of the house-elves scurried through the door.

"It is actually good that you came, I believe Mr. Hux and Mr. Ren will be needing some clothes, both for day and night. Could you please rummage some night clothes up for tonight and we can get the other clothes tomorrow when the shops open?"

"Yes, Professor," the elf bowed low before she disappeared.

"Be careful what you say to them," Hermione warned softly. "For the longest time they were required to hurt themselves if they did something that wouldn't please their masters or if they didn't follow orders, and many of the elves, including Marvi, came to Hogwarts from very... strict homes. If they think you are displeased they will still try to hurt themselves, and I am trying to avoid that. Marvi was freed after the war, all the house elves working at Hogwarts are free, but avoid directly giving them clothes. It's still a great insult to them. You can request they bring you garments, and they do the laundry if you leave it for them, but handing them an item will not end well."

Hux raised an eyebrow and Ren let off a small huff. A moment later Marvi returned, a stack of pajamas in almost every color teetering in her arms. Hermione lunged forward, grabbing the tower before it could fall.

"Thank you, Marvi," she nodded. "We've all had a long day today, so I think we're going to go to bed now. Could you bring breakfast in here tomorrow? I want to give them a tour of the grounds before I go marching them through a room filled with students."

"Yes, Professor Granger," the elf bent low, and with several loud cracks the house elves left.

"Unless there's something you would like to ask me, I think it's been a long day for all of us. I know we have a lot to talk about, but I think it's best saved for a time when our heads are a little clearer."

"I think that is a good idea," Hux nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning, then," she replied, stifling a yawn and handing the stack to Hux.

Hux and Ren went towards their room, but were quickly stopped in their tracks by a growling lump of ginger fur. Ren raised a hand defensively, but was cut off by Hermione's sharp call of "Crookshanks!" behind them. The ginger creature stalked past with a glare that reminded Hux greatly of Ren before bounding across the room and into Hermione's arms.

"He's not one for strangers," she said, tucking the cat in her arms. "Goodnight. Knock if you need anything." She closed the door and a moment later it flashed blue, then white, before returning to its normal state.

"She warded it against us," Ren said when Hux raised an eyebrow.

"I can't say I don't find it an intelligent move," Hux murmured, putting the night clothes atop a set of drawers and reaching for the black set on top, but before his hand could close around them they flew into Ren's outstretched hand.

"Some days I forget you are not a petulant teenager," Hux sighed, pushing past the purple and green sets to extract a navy blue one. He went to the bathroom to change and wash up with a few of the products the house elves had left out for them. When he entered the room again he found Ren already dressed, sitting on the bed closest to the window, holding his helmet and seemingly lost in thought. Hux took his time preparing his bed before sitting on it and looking at Ren.

"What is your assessment of our situation?" he asked softly.

Ren turned the helmet over twice before responding. "By all appearances we're lucky in regards to who found us. I'm not sure how lucky I'll feel in a few days time, but for now, I think we're in a good spot."

"Agreed," Hux nodded. "It is better than prison, though, for now, this castle is a prison in and of itself."

"I'd rather be in this prison than out there trying to discover things on our own," he shot back.

"Agreed," he nodded, then he went to bed without another word.

XXXXXX

The next morning was a blur of activity. The house elves had gone above and beyond, it seemed, because in the morning there was a large stock of clothes in the closets. Many of these were somewhat foreign, robes and cloaks, and Hux was unsurprised to find Ren fashioning some of these into his normal style. Hux found a pair of slacks and a button up shirt that would do, and changed quickly himself. Breakfast was a spread unlike anything he had seen in years, stacks of bacon, sausages, different types of eggs, breads, and fruits... enough food, he thought, to feed a whole battalion. The two men hadn't eaten in nearly a day, and their food for months had been prison quality, so they both ate enthusiastically until they were sure they couldn't eat any more. Hermione returned from breakfast in the Great Hall at that point and said that, since it was Sunday, she didn't have classes, so she could devote the day to giving them a tour. It quickly became apparent to the men that one tour would not be enough to memorize the layout of the large castle, and several times Hermione used passages that shouldn't have even been there. They walked until it was time for a late lunch, and as they were returning to Hermione's quarters they were stopped by a short Professor carrying an armful of scrolls.

"Good afternoon, Professor Granger!" the man smiled jovially.

"Good afternoon, Professor Flitwick," she replied.

"I heard you were going to have some guests for a while."

"I am," she nodded. "This is Armitage Hux and Kylo Ren," she nodded to each. "This is Filius Flitwick, he's the Charms Professor."

"Good to meet you, Sir," Hux nodded.

"What brings you gentlemen to Hogwarts?" Flitwick asked.

Ren and Hux exchanged a look, then looked at Hermione. A look of shock crossed her face, and her mouth worked a couple times before she muttered, "Kylo is... Severus' nephew."

"Oh... I wasn't aware Severus had a nephew. Or any family, if I'm honest."

"Well, it's more of his cousin's child," she explained, sounding only marginally convincing. "They live in America, and Severus doesn't talk much about them."

"Severus never talked much about anything personal," he chuckled.

"One of his more endearing qualities," she smirked. "Kylo was not allowed to finish school, so I agreed to do some intense tutoring as a favor to Severus."

"I see," he nodded, apparently taking the lie as the truth. "And you, Mr. Hux?"

Another awkward pause. Hermione waited until a group of students passed before bending low and murmuring, "His lover. He wouldn't leave him, it's not exactly safe under current circumstances."

Hux glanced at Ren, then involuntarily moved away when he saw rage behind his eyes. Flitwick, however, nodded knowingly.

"If there is anything you need, Miss Granger, please come to me. I will happily help teach Mr. Ren if you need assistance."

"I will, Professor, thank you," she smiled.

"I will see you at dinner," he nodded again before leaving.

Hermione seemed to know Ren was about to blow his top, and quickly turned and rushed back to her quarters to keep the conversation private.

"His _lover?_ " Ren shouted, advancing on her.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, though she didn't retreat away from him. "I panicked. It's the only thing that popped into my mind."

"The only thing you could possibly think of is that he and I are..." he stopped short, and Hux took a step back as several objects in the room started trembling.

"It's not as though I'm asking you to play the part!" she shouted back. "I have it on good authority that no Snape in history has ever shown affection in public, and you'll have to trust me when I tell you that around here being gay is probably more preferred than being related to Severus. That's the bit that's going to get around the school... I should probably warn Severus..."

"What did you mean by 'current circumstances'?" Hux interrupted, hoping to stop Ren before he either destroyed the room or hurt Hermione.

"There are still enough people out there who think that magical persons should not mingle with Muggles that it's ill-advised to leave a Muggle lover or relation without some form of protection. I don't think many would leave them alone for an extended period in a different country."

Hux's eyebrow raised and Ren stopped dead as he digested that information.

"Come on, I have something to show you," Hermione motioned for Ren to follow her. Hux hesitated a moment, then followed them out of the castle and across the grounds. Hermione entered the woods on a small path and carefully followed it as it wound into older, thicker trees. Suddenly they came to a clearing, not a large one, but there was an open space without trees. Hermione waved her wand and several mannequins appeared around the area, each 'armed' with a wand an a wooden sword.

"If you're going to get upset, do it here," Hermione said by way of introducing the space. Her hand plunged into her beaded bag and came up with Ren's saber, which she tossed to him. "They're self-repairing, so you can do what you wish with them. I don't care, but I do not want you to get upset and wreck things in my quarters.

Ren was flipping the saber over in his hands. Without warning her turned it on, gave it a practice swing, then cut two mannequins in half with one long stroke. Their severed top halves barely hit the ground before they bounced back up, affixing themselves to their bottoms again.

"Thank you," he murmured softly.

"You will surrender that when you're in the castle," Hermione said firmly. "If I see you with it I will hex you."

Ren nodded once.

"Stay on the right forks to get back," she said, grabbing Hux by the elbow and marching him back through the woods.

"I thought he could use a little time by himself," she explained when they got out of earshot.

"Agreed," Hux replied with a nod. "Ren was... not kind to whatever room he was in when he was angered. Best give him a place where you don't care what he destroys, because he will do his best to destroy your things."

"At least with magic it isn't costing anyone anything. Are you ready for your first lesson?"

"Right now?" he asked, startled.

"No time like the present. I'm going to have to get a feel about what you might already know, I feel like we're going to feel like a gigantic step back for you."

"I will try to hide my frustration better than Ren."

"You really don't like him, do you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Ren lacks a strategic mind, and being part of an organization that thrives on structure and planning it is irritating to have someone in a position of power who tends to act, then think. He was over-confident and over-emotional, and neither of those things fit well into how I was trying to run things, but Snoke insisted he have similar command, and therefore he used men and resources irresponsibly. I find that behavior infuriating, though I'm sure we find the feeling mutual."

"He found you too rigid?"

"I did not believe in the Force for much of my life, and therefore I did not put much thought or stock into it or its users. History has shown that relying on the Force or Force users makes things unpredictable. Ren has always had a need to prove himself powerful, and did so by being intimidating, and I was careful to limit how much I let that affect me. Ren would have preferred me cowering every time he entered the room and unable to challenge his instructions, and I refused to do so."

"So, essentially you two had a power play going on, and you dislike each other for it?"

A half-smile crossed his lips. "That would be the simplified version, it seems."

"I guess when I'm done with you two you can go your separate ways. The planet is pretty big, it wouldn't take much to avoid each other for the rest of your lives."

He scowled, but quickly said, "It is nice to have something like that to look forward to. So, about these lessons?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Here to help me with the mandrakes?" Neville asked hopefully as Hermione perched on a table in the greenhouse.

"You have mandrakes?" she asked, looking around until her eyes fell on a couple pots in the corner.

"I won't if they don't stop _eating_ ," he groaned with a smile. "They've reached the stage where I add food to the pot five times a day and it still doesn't seem to be enough."

"You're on your own," she chuckled. "I deal with enough teenage drama on a daily basis, I don't need any from the plants. Just the other day Mr. Magnus and Miss Bradson broke up and made up three times in my class alone? I can't handle hormones from something whose shriek could be lethal and not just annoying."

"Fair enough," he nodded. "What's up?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask if I could have that empty space in greenhouse three next year? I was thinking I might teach a few Muggle growing techniques to my second years."

"Of course," he nodded. "I'll put up a divider, though, so the tentacula doesn't get into whatever you're going to grow."

"Brilliant," she smiled. "Now that business is out of the way, how is Hannah?"

"She's good," he blushed and looked down.

"Oh, come off it, you can't leave it at that," she laughed.

"I... I think I might ask her this summer."

"The big question?" she raised an eyebrow.

He nodded once, looking pale.

"You have been seeing each other for three years!" she laughed. "There's no need to be nervous."

"That's easy for you to say, with your logical brain, but it's not easy to be dating a Hogwarts professor, it's probably much harder to be married to one."

"I'll take your word for it," she shrugged.

"Well, maybe it's not difficult for _you_ ," he muttered.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Hermione, those two men you have around _hate_ each other. They get along as well as a Weasley and a Malfoy. You may have fooled everyone else with that line about them being lovers, but if they are I'll drink a vat of stinksap."

"Perhaps the situation is a little more complicated than that," she replied casually.

"Do you forget that I also work with teenagers? I can see when two kids either hate or fancy each other, I see the looks they give each other, and they hate each other. The looks you give them, on the other hand..."

"I do not give that look to Hux!" she protested.

Neville's eyebrow raised.

"Or Ren!" she added.

"You know you can tell me, Hermione. I'm not going to tell anyone. We're forty years younger than the rest of the staff, it's not like I'm going to go gossip with Flitwick."

She gave him a look. "Alright, it is more complicated, but not in the way you think. Hux and Ren aren't lovers, they're exiles."

He looked at her expectantly before prompting, "Go on."

"They came from a different galaxy. That arch apparently isn't just a passageway to the land of the dead, living people can go through and be taken from place to place."

"And they were sent through?"

"They did some bad things in their galaxy."

"Bad things?"

"War crimes. I'm leaving it at that. Harry and Severus know the truth, and Minerva and Kingsley know enough, but we're keeping it from everyone else as long as they don't start returning to their past behavior."

"It must have been bad to get them kicked out of a galaxy," he mused.

"You cannot even imagine," she sighed. "The things that are going on where they came from... I've never been more grateful to be a resident of this particular planet."

"But you really are helping Ren?"

"Yes. He's got magic, or he can use the Force, or whatever they call it there. It's fascinating, really, since there is a lot of crossover with our magic but there are some differences. I've been experimenting with wand magic and he can do it, but he hates my wand. I don't doubt my wand would probably be hostile for him, but I'm not ready to trust him with one of his own. I'm helping Hux, too, though I'm trying to keep it low-key, since it would look odd for me to be teaching Muggle basics to a thirty-some year old Muggle."

"That would raise an eyebrow or two," he smiled, but it faltered quickly. "So, teaching them is all it is?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "I don't know what you think you're seeing, but I'm not a bloody teenager. There is nothing between Hux or Ren and I."

"Is it because of what they've done?" he asked.

She glared at him for a moment, then muttered, "That's a big part of it."

"Whatever it was bothers you," he guessed.

"Not as much as it did at first," she admitted. "I'll admit it... really bothered me at first. To the point where I wasn't really rational. Once I found out a little more it softened the blow, but it's still a lot to deal with."

"Are you ever going to tell me what they did?"

"No," she shook her head. "As long as they are attempting to build a better life here I'm not going to tell anyone who doesn't already know. The longer I think about their punishment the more I think they paid a very big price. I can't imagine what it would be like to be exiled out of the country, let alone a whole bloody galaxy, dumped on some isolated planet that must feel downright primitive in some ways."

"Can I ask them about it sometime? Space ships and all that. How often do you get the chance to talk to someone who lived that?"

"If you ever catch Ren on a good day you should ask him to show you his saber."

"That... that doesn't sound right," he muttered.

"His _light_ saber," she laughed. "This weapon he brought with him. I set him up with a place to use it in the forest. I think it helps him to just go in there and fight the mannequins."

"I've seen him stalking into the woods. I think I'd rather pick another fight with Voldemort. Are you sure he has good days?"

"He is a bit moody, but I hung around Harry for years, didn't I?" she smiled.

"And then there was you and Snape..."

"I will never live that down, will I?" she sighed.

"You did date Snape," he pointed out.

"I did _not_ date Severus!" she shot back.

"Sorry, you _wanted_ to date Snape. And the two of you slept together on a fairly regular basis for a couple years."

"That I won't deny," she shrugged. "Nor will I apologize for it."

"I'm not expecting you to," he replied. "You're a grown woman, you don't need to justify your sex life to me. Meaning if you were sleeping with some moody man from outer space or a certain stuffy ginger Muggle..."

"I see where this is going," she rolled her eyes and slid from the table. "I wish you luck with the mandrakes, Neville."

"And I wish you luck with the space boyfriends."

"I miss the days you were terrified of me."

"Still am," he smiled. "But I know how far I can push you now. See you at dinner?"

"Not tonight," she shook her head. "I'm taking Hux to the London Library. I promised I would a week ago, but things have come up with Ren, and I really do want to take him."

"If you're trying to convince me you're not seeing a bloke maybe you shouldn't mention that you are taking him to a library, because that's very suspicious of you..." he laughed.

"Good evening, Neville!" she called over her shoulder as she walked out of the greenhouse.

XXXXXXX

Ren pushed the remaining steak and kidney pie around his plate with a scowl, which only deepened as he realized that there was no discernible reason why he should be in a foul mood. He had spent a couple hours with Hermione in the forest earlier and he would consider them productive as he had managed to coerce her uncooperative wand to perform most of the magic he asked of it. It should bode well for when (if) Hermione trusted him with a wand of his own, and yet when she ran off, late for a class he had spent another quarter hour dismembering as many of the mannequins as possible, finding satisfaction that they seemed to be having difficulty in fully repairing themselves. While he and Hux still shared quarters and ate most meals together Hux seemed to have given up on any hopes of conversation, and they ate in blissful silence. No, as far as Ren was concerned there was no reason for his sudden foul mood.

He refused to acknowledge that the feeling flared when he looked at the two empty plates at the table, reminding him that his roommates were still not back from their outing together.

Giving up on the food he swung his hand angrily, sending the food, plate and all, toward the rubbish bin, where it crashed against the wall and fell in with a satisfying tinkle of broken porcelain. He was about to go into his room when he heard voices approaching from the other side of the door, and he dropped into a chair by the fireplace, picking up a book, determined to look as though nothing was bothering him.

"After you," he heard Hux hold the door.

"Thank you," Hermione replied cheerfully. "I'll get that second vanishing cabinet put up here tomorrow, and the one is being delivered to Grimmauld Place by noon. After that you should be able to just go between the two and follow the directions to the library, so you won't need me to come with."

Hux placed an armload of books onto the table. "Perhaps you could show me once more?" he asked with a hint of a smile.

"Of course," she replied with a smile and a nod. "Can't have you getting lost in London, can I?"

"I don't doubt you would be able to find me, but I'd rather not trouble you."

"It's no trouble," she shrugged. "I like London, and sometimes it surprises me."

"Which reminds me, thank you again for dinner tonight," he reached out and touched her arm gently. "It was... an experience."

"Indian food usually is the first time!" she laughed, biting her lip as she returned the gesture and leaned into him. "I should have warned you how spicy it can get! You did well hiding your pain."

There was a knocking noise Ren knew meant someone was trying to get her attention in her office. "Excuse me," she said softly, heading back out the door. Hux watched her go, and Ren scowled again as he saw Hux's eyes sweep appreciatively over Hermione's retreating form. Hux pulled something from his pocket and went to throw it in the bin when his hand paused.

"Did the plate cause you offense?" he asked harshly.

Ren glared at him.

"There's been an incident on the fourth floor," Hermione announced coming back into the room. "One day the Slytherins and Gryffindors will stop pranking each other, but apparently tonight is not the night. I'll probably be out the next couple hours helping with the aftermath."

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Hux asked.

"Not unless you know how to remove antlers without damaging a child's skull," she sighed.

Ren snorted.

"Then I will bid you good-night, Hermione," Hux nodded. "Thank you again for the enjoyable evening."

"Anytime," she smiled, then she turned to Ren. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you about dinner," she said. "I should have let you know we'd be staying out."

"It's alright," he replied, trying to hide the fact that it wasn't.

"I have some time first thing in the morning," she said apologetically. "Lets have an early breakfast and go out to the forest?"

"Okay," he nodded, trying to ignore the fact that his insides just became lighter.

"Good night, Ren."

"Good night, Hermione."

Both men watched her silently as she left, shutting the door behind her.

"Do me a favor, and try to contain your thoughts," Ren grumbled.

"I'll thank you to stay out of my head," Hux shot back. "Turn off your Force or whatever you need to do to give me some privacy."

"You're projecting," he snapped back. "And even if you weren't it would take someone very unobservant to not notice what you're thinking."

"Does it bother you, Ren?" he hissed. "Does the thought of me having what would amount to a human emotion inconvenience you in some way?"

"You don't have to think about Hermione like that. I've been hearing it for over a week, and it's starting to get on my nerves."

"Why shouldn't I?" he raised an eyebrow. "Hermione is an attractive, intelligent woman. She would make a smart match."

"She knows you destroyed five planets. I think that might be an insurmountable obstacle for her," he sneered.

"Have you heard her say anything like that?" he challenged.

"She knows how to guard her thoughts," he replied dismissively.

"She has been kind and generous to me," he defended. "While I do not think she would entertain the thought of a relationship with me at the moment I do not see the harm in trying to show her my interest and intention to better myself now so she might give me a chance in the future."

"You sound like a droid trying to explain a relationship," he snarled.

"Why do you care?" he asked. "I thought trivial things like relationships and attraction were beneath Force users or something along those lines. I thought emotions were only for when you want to destroy something."

"I just don't want to listen to it," he replied with a growl. "And I don't think Hermione needs someone following her around like a lovesick animal."

Hux's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's it," he said in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, so now you don't know what's going through my head?" he taunted. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her. Or how you make sure you are always between us. Or how you find a way to get her to break off plans with me to help you. Now you claim you've known about my feelings for her for a while, and yet you have done everything you can to get between us. Do you really hate me enough to try to keep me from Hermione, or do you see me as competition, Ren?"

Ren scoffed.

"This is childish. I'm going to bed," he announced, turning and striding into the bedroom. Ren waited until he passed through to wave his hand and shut the door with a satisfying slam, then stomp from the room, heading to his spot in the woods.

XXXXXX

Hermione dropped her stack of work on an unused corner of Neville's desk. Her former classmate raised an eyebrow and carefully moved a few things away.

"Mind if I get caught up on some marking in here?" she asked, already pulling out a quill.

"I don't mind at all," he nodded. "I'm just doing some marking of my own."

They worked in silence for a few minutes before he finally asked, "So... what's wrong with your office?"

"Those two," she nearly growled. "You were right that they don't like each other, but the last couple weeks it's been _horrible_. I don't know what has gotten into them, but they are making the Gryffindor and Slytherin fourth years look like bloody amateurs with their grudge-holding."

"I'm listening," he put down his quill.

"Remember that night when we had to deal with the students throwing hexes at each other?"

"Mister Ashton only just this morning got the wings off his face."

"I don't know what happened between them that night, but they can't even be in the same bloody room with each other. Ren has used whatever he could get his hands on to build a wall between their beds. I've been giving Hux private lessons after hours, and Ren used to sit in the corner either pretending that he isn't interested while taking it all in, or doing little things for a cheap laugh. I've had to ban him from being anywhere near the lessons, because he's just gotten mean. The other day I was showing Hux how a blender works and Ren knocked the top off as Hux was leaning over it. Hux obviously doesn't have the same abilities Ren has, but he seems quite adept at riling Ren to the point where Ren has to leave because I knows I'll kick him out if he destroys anything in the room again."

"Again?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Sadly my teapot was unable to be properly repaired. Luckily for him I keep my good teapot at the cottage, and the one he broke is that bloody hideous one Luna got for me in Sweden, but if he wrecks something important..."

He chuckled. "Has their behavior changed in any other ways?"

"They've both become somewhat demanding of my time, which is why I'm doing my marking in here. Ren seems to have an interest in wands that he didn't really have before, and Hux is coming home from the library nearly every day with a stack of books and enough questions that made my school years look positively restrained."

"Oh, Hermione," he shook his head. "You don't know what changed?"

"Not a bloody clue! I don't know why men are so convinced that women are the confusing ones, I can't interpret this behavior in the slightest..."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, Hermione, you can't see it?"

"See what?"

"They're two alpha males, fighting over a possible mate."

" _Excuse_ me?"

"Maybe not the best way to put it," he cringed. "But that doesn't mean the point isn't there."

"You seem quite insistent that there is something between us when there really isn't."

"That's the problem, isn't it? There's nothing between you and either one of them, so they're both putting on a show to try to get you to start something."

She bit her lip. "This is a horrible time for them to be pulling this."

"These things never happen conveniently," he nodded, trying and failing to hide a smile. "And two weeks before exams is pretty damn inconvenient."

"Supposing your theory is correct, which I'm not conceding it is, by the way, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"You think I have the answer?" he chuckled. "I've exhausted my knowledge of human behavior... they are human, right?"

"Yes, I have a theory about that, but it's more a Severus discussion."

"Complicated and boring?"

"Only boring to the uninterested," she defended.

"Can I get the short version?" he asked.

"There's obviously a connection between our arch and theirs. They're human as far as I can tell, they speak the same language, and they're much more advanced than we are. Obviously someone moved one way or the other before, probably from their side to ours."

"That bit makes sense," he nodded.

"It's going to take a hell of a lot of digging into human history and all that to prove or disprove my theory, which I might want to explore over the summer, except I'm probably going to be saddled with those two."

"Which brings us back full circle, doesn't it?"

"I'm serious, Neville, I have no idea what to do next."

"Pick one," he shrugged. "Or make it clear to both you're not interested."

She sighed.

"Or, you could go to someone who this sort of thing better than me. In case you didn't notice, I'm basing this all on observations of teenagers, it's not like I'm a bloody alpha male and I've never had to fight over a girl. And I'm from this planet. Maybe they just hate each other that much. What are you going to do with them over the summer?"

"They're not ready to be on their own yet," she shook her head. "I'm going to have to take them to the cottage and spend my summer trying to keep the peace while somehow getting them set up for a life away from here."

"So much for a relaxing summer," he smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

His chest heaved as he stood among the wreckage of every mannequin in the clearing, as well as a few trees around it. The pieces trembled as though they wanted to repair themselves, but his anger held them in place, and he stared them down through his mask as though challenging the debris to dare repair itself.

Slowly his thoughts began to return, and with it the unpleasant realization that Hux had managed to get him that worked up. Even though he had left the room without hurting the redhead Hux had bested him by getting him to go out here and perform some of the 'wanton destruction' that he never failed to mention to Hermione. And it was Hermione that had Hux had used to rile Ren. It wasn't much, a brush of his lips against her fingers, and the lip biting and blush that came across Hermione's face after, that sent him into the woods without a thought other than to destroy whatever he could as quickly as he could. No doubt Hux was currently mentioning how dangerous Ren's temper was, another reason Hermione should stay away, another reason Hux could present himself as the more sensible match.

It had slowly become clear that a match was what Ren wanted, though his latest episode undoubtedly made that even less likely. Hermione was attractive and intelligent, just as Hux had said, but it was more than that. She was patient and rational, a calming force in his life. Hux might want her, but Ren was starting to _need_ her. Truth be told if he was let out on his own without her there to guide and calm him he was sure the results would be horrifying. There was no Snoke in his head, no distant feelings from those who used to give him comfort, no guidance towards the dark or the light, and he had been at his most dangerous when feeling lost and confused. Hermione provided the only sense of any direction or comfort, and should she turn him away he wasn't sure what he would do, except slide back into that place where he had historically been at his most volatile.

"Well, this looks like a healthy way to vent your frustrations," a chiding voice came from behind him, and he spun to see Hermione carefully positioned on the perimeter of the clearing. He exhaled and around him the mannequins reset themselves. Cautiously she approached him, and he turned off his saber. When she reached him she looked up at him for a moment, then pushed his hood down and took his mask off.

"I don't like this thing," she said, turning it in her hands so she could look at the face. "You only wear it when you're angry, and I'm starting to get afraid every time I see you with it."

He scowled but didn't say anything as she placed it on the ground and sat cross-legged next to it. He looked at her for a long moment before sitting in front of her.

"Is there any point in asking you what caused all that?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed.

"I didn't think so," she muttered. "I want to reiterate that you can talk to me about anything. You don't seem to want to talk to me about what is getting to you, but if you change your mind I'm available."

"You wouldn't understand."

"I'll never understand if you don't tell me," she pointed out. "I'm not saying I have experience, I don't think anyone alive knows what you are going through, but that doesn't mean I can't provide a sympathetic ear and maybe a little advice. That's why I took you and Hux in, to help make a very big transition, and I really don't want you to feel like you can't approach me if something is bothering you."

"It's nothing about the transition," he muttered and shook his head.

"Personal issues?" she raised an eyebrow. "You and Hux seem to be getting on worse terms by the day..."

"We were never on good terms, merely on the same side," he said. "I was not given the choice of who I was exiled with, and at the moment I don't have much of a choice but continue to maintain his company."

"Would you like me to speak to Harry or one of my other friends? If you think it would be less stressful to be studying with someone else and away from here..."

"No," he interrupted shortly.

She waited a moment to see if he would elaborate, then decided to change the subject. "What do you see when you try to enter my mind?" she asked.

"I don't..."

"Don't lie," she said sharply. "I know you try, I've felt you. I was hoping you'd approach me and ask about my defenses, because I'm curious to see if they work. No one is willing to test them with me."

He looked her in the eyes for a moment before replying, "A wall. Not a particularly high one, but with a sense of it being impenetrable while also somewhat familiar. I've never stayed long enough to try to figure it out."

"Would you like to try?" she asked.

"You want me in your mind?" he scoffed.

"I want to see if you can get in," she replied.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea. What I do to get information from someone isn't like what you did. You waited, you observed, and you held it when necessary, but there wasn't anything particularly forceful behind it. I force people, and it doesn't always end well for their mental state."

"Yes, but they're generally fighting you. Just try. I've got my wand, I'll hex you if thing are going south."

Hesitantly he lifted a hand, looked into her eyes, and concentrated. Almost immediately he was standing at the stone wall.

 _"Do you want me to try to break it down?" he called, not expecting an answer._

 _"Or you could try the gate," her voice called from further away, and he turned to his left to see a wrought iron gate where he was sure solid wall had been second before. He walked, the wall on one side and nothing surrounding the others, until he came to the gate and couldn't help but smile. She stood just inside the thick iron bars, bouncing expectantly, inside the familiar grounds of Hogwarts, the castle visible over her shoulder._

 _"I'm assuming your thoughts are inside?" he asked._

 _"There are a few scattered on the ground. Mostly superficial, nothing really interesting or significant," she said, looking to her left as his helmet appeared, then disappeared._

 _"So one must get past the wall or the gate, then ignore the scattered thoughts you're currently having, and make your way into the castle which, if it's anything like the castle it's modeled after, will be a nearly impenetrable labyrinth itself?"_

 _"Pretty much," she smiled. "I got the idea of a mind palace from the Sherlock Holmes books, and I guess I went a bit literal. But Hogwarts is an excellent place to hide things. Originally I was going to build a library, but the nature of a library would make it easy for someone who wished to find information to access it."_

 _He reached out and pulled on the gate, but as he expected it didn't budge in the slightest. He mentally pulled on it, straining as hard as he had when he was trying to get information from Rey, but the gates and the stones around it remained resolutely shut and in place._

 _"You've done it," he told her. "I think if I try much harder one of us might suffer mental damage."_

 _"Well, then I'll just invite you in," she smiled, reaching out to touch the gate, which opened with her feather-light touch. He slipped through the opening and stood next to her, looking out over the expanse of the grounds. Here and there things popped up, things easily recognizable as things around their physical forms or things she might be concerned about, like a stack of papers that needed marking. As he was watching a black, winged horse take flight at the edge of the forest he felt something close around his hand, and looked down to see her hand wrapped around his._

 _"Come on," she said, and mentally he could see he pulling him forward, but the physical sensation remained unchanged. It only took him a second to realize that the part where he could actually feel it could only mean one thing: she was physically holding his hand._

 _She led him up the steps to the school and in through the massive doors. The sprawling entrance hall was filled with people, all standing still, eyes closed, and heads drooped. Most of these were bathed in an ethereal light, and he was drawn to them as though he knew them personally. He gently prodded one, a stout woman with bright red hair, and the image sprang to life._

 _"But, Hermione, dear, it really won't be Christmas without you," she said in a pleading voice. "Even if you're not with Ron, you are_ family _, and you're always welcome..."_

 _Hermione touched the woman again, and she immediately went still._

 _"This is everyone I know well enough to have significant memories with," she explained. "Friends and family."_

 _They walked slowly through the room, and Ren saw a few people with resemblances to Hermione, many redheads, and many of the same Professors who were still teaching at Hogwarts. The further they got the less light bathed people, and he noticed in the back some figures were shrouded in darkness, barely discernible until he approached them._

 _"People I'd rather not remember, but don't have the ability to forget," she explained._

 _Ren reached for the closest one, a woman clad in black with wild hair._

 _"No..." Hermione started, but his fingers brushed the woman, who sprang to life, wand already moving._

 _"How did you get into my vault?_ Crucio _!" the woman shrieked, and Hermione's disembodied screams of pain filled the hall before Ren hit the woman's figure to silence them. He looked down at Hermione, waiting for her to say something, but she just started towards the staircase._

 _It didn't take long for Ren to realize that Hermione's thoughts were well organized within the massive structure, but that she had complete control of her mental castle. She could cut off access to any area she wanted by locking doors or changing staircases, and no amount of force could change them back or force her to let him pass. She could also disappear, leaving him wandering familiar halls that didn't go where he remembered. When she thought of something it would draw him in that direction, if she hid something no amount of searching would find it. As he explored on his own he became aware that something was drawing him lower, toward the dungeons, a persistent thought that she couldn't seem to keep from her mind._

 _"That's far enough," she suddenly appeared in front of him as he reached the bottom of a set of stairs._

 _He looked behind her as if her thought would present itself, wondering what Hermione was so desperate to keep from him._

 _"Out," she ordered. "You don't get to see that."_

 _"What are you hiding from me, Hermione?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. It must be something terrible if she didn't want him in there._

 _"Out," she repeated._

 _He took a step forward, thinking of what he would be keeping from her. Suddenly he felt himself forcibly ejected from her mind, but they were too deeply connected, and they moved, but not back into the physical world. It took him a moment to realize where they were, and by then it was too late. Hermione saw too much. She stood in front of him on the narrow walkway, eyes wide and staring at something behind him, and he turned to see his figure from his memory had just run his saber through Han. Hermione seemed unable to move, and it took him a moment to remember how to pull them both from his mind as Han disappeared down the shaft and his memory took the hit from Chewbacca's bowcaster._

They started at each other, wide eyed, as emotions coursed through each of them. A flash of rage engulfed Ren, but quickly, nearly too quickly, it was replaced by resignation, and he felt his body deflate.

"I'm.. I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, and it was then he realized she was holding his hand tightly, as though she were afraid he would run away.

"After what you just saw you apologize to me?" he laughed.

"I had no right..."

"And yet you saw," he snapped.

"I shouldn't have," she said softly. "I had no idea I could do that by throwing you out of my mind, since I've never heard of it happening before. I know you didn't want me to see that and I'm so sorry, I should have found a way out. I was confused, I wasn't thinking straight..."

His trembling hand found her face, and she immediately fell silent. "How do you do it?" he asked. "How do you show so much concern for everyone else? How do you see something like that and stay here to apologize?"

"If you ever want to talk about it, you'll tell me. If not, that's alright. I wasn't supposed to see that, I know you kept it from me before. That's your mind, and I have no right to be there."

He studied her face for a long moment. "You didn't know? I would have thought this something Hux told you about a long time ago."

"He didn't mention a word," she shook her head. "But... but I think I knew the first time you kept it from me. I'm assuming no one has called you Ben in a very long time."

His head dropped, but she reached out and cautiously cupped his face, her fingers running down the scar. "I'm not going to force you to talk about it. Ever. That's your history, and if you want to talk, I'm here, but if you never want to talk I'm okay with that, too. I am sorry for that, I can't say that enough, and I really hope that you can forgive me."

He shook his head and pressed into her touch. "I still can't believe you're the one who thinks they need forgiveness."

"Sorry?" she bit her lip.

His shoulders shook once with a suppressed chuckle, and he looked up into her face.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're real, or just some some figment of my imagination sent to torment me with the thought that someone actually cares enough about my well being before you're torn away from me in penance for everything I've done."

"Ren..." she started, but he interrupted her.

"If you are I'm willing to take each moment I can," he murmured. "If I'm destined to lose this, I want every memory I can get from it."

Then he kissed her.

He was prepared for her to recoil in disgust, at the horror that someone as damaged and terrible as he would dare touch her like that.

He was prepared for her to slap him, shout at him, run from him.

He was prepared for rejection. It might actually be a relief if she put to rest any hope he might have held.

He was not prepared for her to lean into him, a contented sigh escaping her lips before hers connected with his again.

For the first time in he couldn't remember how long he was completely in the moment. No one in his head telling him what he should do, trying to influence which path he took. No concerns about what part this action played in the larger scope of things. No heightened emotions clouding his every thought. It was just him and Hermione.

When she finally pulled away from him he studied her face, looking for any hint that she might be playing some cruel prank on him, but she was smiling and her eyes were warm.

"Hermione..." he started.

"Let's take this day by day," she said softly, not waiting for him to ask. "I don't know what it is and I don't know where it might go. Not putting labels on it is probably for the best right now."

He nodded.

"Right now it would probably be a good idea if we get back up to the castle," she said, glancing at the darkening sky. "I always hate this forest at night."

He stood and offered her a hand, which she held until they got in sight of the castle. They crossed the grounds wordlessly save for a quick greeting she shouted to Hagrid, then slid in a side door and immediately turned into the secret passage that would lead to the corridor nearest her quarters. When they were almost there she surprised him by turning to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and kissing him again. There was no hesitation with this one, no question between them as there had been with the first. She was kissing him passionately, and he quickly followed her lead, maneuvering her until she was against the wall, pressed against his body. It was a wonderful sensation, a moment he would have happily stayed with for hours if they hadn't heard student voices drifting up the passage toward them.

"Let's go," she hissed as she quickly broke away from him, pulling him in a run down the rest of the passage and bursting through a tapestry into the corridor, nearly colliding with two seventh year girls.

"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" one, who was wearing a prefect badge, asked.

"Um... Oh, yes," Hermione replied, her absentminded tone causing a smirk to flash across Ren's face. "Yes, quite alright. How are, um, things, Miss Wagner?"

"Everything seems to be in order, ma'am," she replied with a smile that conveyed she clearly knew what her professor had been up to. "I do still need to speak with you and Professor Longbottom about the third years, however..."

"What? Oh, right, the place.. the..."

"Hogsmeade? And the damage they did to the Three Broomsticks?"

"That's it," Hermione nodded, either not noticing that the prefect's friend was silently giggling or deliberately ignoring it. "I'm... a bit busy at the moment. Could you come in around two tomorrow afternoon? Professor Longbottom should be able to join us then."

"Yes, Ma'am," she nodded.

"Brilliant. Have a good night, Miss Wagner, Miss Doheny."

"Good night, Professor," they chorused, hurrying down the hall, the echoes of their giggles rebounding back to Hermione and Ren as soon as they turned the corner.

"I'm pretty sure they are drawing some conclusions..." Ren started.

"You obviously haven't worked in a school before," she replied, walking across the corridor and opening the door to her classroom. "The rumors about us have been flying for weeks."

"What rumors?" he asked.

"You and I. Hux and I. You, Hux and I, I've heard them all. Students don't seem to believe our story much, but, frankly, most don't like to think of their professors as humans who occasionally enjoy things like sex, so we're more a passing rumor. Those two sixth years who mistook the elves' quarters for the Room of Requirement is a much bigger story. This will spread like wildfire but die rather quickly."

"Wait," he stopped just as she put her hand on the knob that lead to her private quarters. When she turned to look at him he gave her one more kiss.

"Hux," he murmured softly.

She seemed to understand. "We should keep this from him?" she asked.

"I think it for the best, for now, to at least keep the visual from him. If he asks upon hearing the rumors we can address it then, but if not it would keep from complicating things," he replied.

Confusion flickered across her face, but she nodded and dropped his hand. When they entered the room, however, they found it empty and dark, the only light coming from the setting sun.

"He must be at the library or out for a run," she said, craning her neck to make sure he wasn't in the bedroom and finding the beds perfectly made.

"Which means he could be back at any moment," Ren pointed out, gently placing his helmet and saber down on the nearest chair.

"Hmmm," she replied absentmindedly, dropping her teaching robes on the chair, covering his things. "I think it might be time to retire for the night, then," she murmured, turning to face him. "Care to join me?" she nearly whispered, before pressing another kiss to his lips as he stared at her in stunned silence. Without another word she turned and started into her room, unbuttoning her blouse and letting it fall just inside her door.


	6. Chapter 6

The shock that had rooted him to the spot released him just as suddenly as it had come, and he took three quick strides into her room, vaguely aware that he had slammed the door shut behind him without touching it. It felt good to feel his raw power course through him in that second, to feel the spark light as excitement coursed through his body. Another two large steps and he was pressing his body against Hermione's from behind, one hand pressing against her lower abdomen to keep her against him, the other sliding up her soft skin, running between her breasts, following the lines of her neck, until he could push her face to meet his, and she started to kiss him again.

Too long. It had been too long since he had felt the kind of rush he was feeling just then, all excitement, nerves, and anticipation without the resignation he had felt for... he couldn't really remember the last time there wasn't that feeling of emotional surrender. He could feel Hermione responding to his touches, felt her own excitement, the lust coursing through her. She was watonly pressing herself against him, her hips moving back and forth as she could feel him growing behind her, her hand wound firmly into his hair. Her other hand reached behind her and, in a practiced motion she unclasped her bra and let go of him long enough to slide the straps from her arms and toss the garment aside. He stopped kissing her to look down, a groan escaping his lips. His fingers traced over the mounds with a feather-light touch, her nipples beginning to harden with just a brush of his digits.

"They're not breakable, you know," she murmured.

He responded by rolling one of her peaks between a thumb and forefinger, and she hissed her pleasure in response. He traced her neck with his lips as he moved his other hand so he could play with both breasts, inwardly smiling as the lust radiating from her surged.

She let him go on for a few minutes before muttering, "You are entirely over-dressed for this." Before he could say anything she turned, tugging his tunic up and over his head and letting it fall behind him. Her eyes ran slowly over his body, a smile running over her lips, though she paused when she saw the large, jagged scar in his side.

"Is that where...?" she started, but she didn't finish.

"Yes," he replied, concerned.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Good," she smiled up at him. "I don't want to do something that would hurt you."

Something shifted behind his eyes, and he lifted her face to kiss her again, feeling his power wrap around her and pull her to him, though if she objected to his shows of force she didn't say anything. Rather her hands went to his waist, tugging at at his belt and pushing his pants down so she could take him in her hand. He let off a growl, and she broke off their kiss with a chuckle.

"Been a while?" she asked

His eyes narrowed but a smirk played across his lips.

She started to kiss lower, down his chest, as she lowered herself to her knees. For a long moment she knelt there, looking up at him, as his body grew more tense in anticipation. Still looking up at him she slowly moved forward, and he hissed in appreciation as her tongue darted out and ran over his tip. Then she licked her lips and moved forward again, taking him as far into her mouth as possible. He swore in several languages and his hands flew behind him to steady himself on her night table, and he could feel her chuckle in the back of her throat. She quickly set herself into a slow but steady rhythm, his eyes watching her every move hungrily, as though he were certain there wouldn't be another time.

"Enough," he said finally, pulling her off him by gently pulling her hair back. She stood, a satisfied smile playing across her face, and slowly removed her skirt and knickers. She pushed him gently onto the bed, and motioned for him to lean back against the pillows. Then she climbed atop him, positioning herself over his straining cock. She took his hand and guided it between her legs, using her fingers on top of his to show him how she liked to be touched. He moved his fingers, circling her nub a few times before probing her entrance, finding her wet and ready for him. As he circled her nub once more she took a hold of his erection and lowered herself onto him.

He groaned as her heat wrapped around him, and she closed her eyes and let her head fall back as she took all of him in. His hands slid up her sides and pulled her down as she started moving slowly atop him, sliding herself back and forth along his length. He kissed whatever skin he could reach, his hands running up and down her back, holding her to him. When she fell into a rhythm he started lifting his hips to meet hers, earning him a hiss of satisfaction before she started kissing him again. At one point she sat up, placing her hands on his chest as she started to ride him faster, bouncing more than sliding, and his hands came around to play with her breasts as he watched her face in fascination. Time was meaningless, he wasn't sure if she had been on top of him for hours or mere minutes when her body began to shake and she began to tighten. He pulled her back to him, holding her hips as he thrust up into her as her breathing became uneven, her head fell back, and she clenched around him. Seconds later her body released with a moan, her inner walls pulsing against him, bringing him to his own climax. Her movements slowed until the last vestiges of her orgasm were gone completely, at which point she found herself looking down at him, biting her lip as she smiled. His hand wound into her hair as he pulled her down to kiss her, and she threw herself into the kiss until she became acutely aware of the ache in her arms. She slid herself off him and laid next to him, kissing him again before resting her head against his chest.

"Thank you," she murmured. "That was..." she trailed off with a sigh.

"Long needed," he replied.

"Mm-hmm," she purred in tired agreement.

He held her for several quiet minutes, fingers softly tracing along the skin of her back.

"Hermione?" he asked as her breathing started to slow.

"Yes?" she replied softly.

"If we're trying to keep it from Hux..." he started, but she cut him off with a sigh.

"I know," she lifted herself to look at him. "It's just hard to want to end this right now. Hold me a couple more minutes?"

He couldn't help but comply.

XXXXXXX

Hux hadn't gotten to where he had been by being unobservant. With so many under his command and a planet-sized operation to run he had to be able to scan his surroundings constantly and notice things that might have been out of place. So when he walked into the room after his evening run he immediately noticed something was amiss. Hermione's teaching robe was discarded haphazardly on the chair. Hermione was meticulous in her care of her things. She always hung her robes up outside her room, where the elves could launder it and keep it looking neat. For her to toss it on the chair meant that she was in a hurry for some reason. There were several reasons why that might be, but her door was closed, which meant she wanted privacy and his query would have to wait until morning. He picked up the robe, intending to hang it for her, when he noticed what lie beneath it.

"Damn," he muttered, a surge of anger flashing over him but ebbing quickly. Ren was meticulous about putting that damn helmet and saber away in their room when he was out, which meant that he was in the quarters, but a quick glance confirmed it wasn't their room Ren was in. Hux looked up at Hermione's closed door, and tried not to imagine what was going on behind it. He carefully placed the robe back where he found it so it looked close enough to the manner in which he found it, then strode across the room, paused long enough in his room to grab his night clothes, then went in to shower. He was sure that Hermione or Ren could keep from hearing him, but he still made a point to knock things around a bit more than usual. When he was finished he dressed for bed and took a seat in the sitting room, reading a book Hermione said she recommended for young Muggle-borns that gave an introduction to life as a witch or wizard. To his chagrin it took Ren nearly two hours to emerge from Hermione's room, at which point exhaustion was threatening to take over and he could not recall the many snide comments he had planned to say.

"So much for keeping it secret," Ren grumbled, closing the door but not moving away from it.

"You did this on purpose," Hux accused.

Ren glared at him for a moment and Hux briefly regretted not hiding the saber. "If I thought there was something I could say to convince you otherwise, I'd bother, but since I doubt there is..." Ren trailed off without finishing.

"How long?" he asked.

"Today," he admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't need to justify anything to you," Ren snapped.

"You knew I was interested in her."

"She's not a piece of property, and you did not have a claim."

Hux's eyes narrowed. "Did you do anything to help... persuade her?"

Immediately after saying it he knew it was the wrong thing. A sudden cold swept the room, and he had to fight his instinct to run.

"What is going on in here?" Hermione shouted, wrenching the door open while wearing nothing but her robe pulled tight around her. She took a second to appraise the situation as the cold retreated, and her eyes met Hux's. He could see a love-bite on her collarbone and he felt his resolve deflate. He put the book face-down on the arm of the chair and stood.

"My apologies, Miss Granger," he murmured before turning and striding into his bedroom and closing the door.

"What was that?" she asked Ren.

"He knows," he replied.

"And you fought?" she raised an eyebrow.

His eyes flicked to his bedroom door. "We... exchanged words."

She looked skeptical and sighed. "I'm going to make myself some tea. Why don't you go to bed?"

Realizing she needed a moment alone Ren nodded, and started towards his room.

"No..." she stopped him. "Not that room."

He looked at her and she flashed him a half-smile.

"The last thing I need is you two... exchanging words again. Go ahead, I'll be in soon."

He touched her face lightly before following directions, and she closed the door behind him. She took a few seconds to assess the situation, then moved to the small kitchen where she put a kettle on to boil. After setting everything else out to make her tea she moved into the sitting area, where she picked up the book Hux had left, picking up a bookmark off the coffee table and preparing to mark it when she glanced at the page. What Hux had been reading about stopped her in her tracks. Frowning, she sat on the arm of the chair and started reading herself, biting her lip and reading the three-page passage twice before furrowing her brow in thought.

"Miss Granger?" Hux's voice made her jump and slam the book closed, and she turned to look at him, fighting a blush.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Is everything alright? Your teapot has been whistling for a while..."

"Damn," she grumbled, hurrying over to take it off the burner and pour into her cup. "And I'm fine," she added as she poured.

"Okay," he nodded, though his tone made it clear he didn't believe her. "Good night, Miss Granger."

"Since when am I 'Miss Granger'?" she asked.

"I thought, perhaps, a more formal title..."

"Please don't give me that cock-and-bull story," she shook her head. "You had no problem calling me by my name before, what changed?"

He was silent for a moment before he replied, softly, "I meant no offense. I know... circumstances have changed recently."

"What happened between Ren and I shouldn't have to change things between us," she interrupted.

"If only things were that simple. Good night... Hermione."

She bit her lip and turned back to her tea, not noticing his glance toward the book before he retired again.

XXXXXXXXX

"Good-bye, Mrs. Lehry, I look forward to corresponding with you again next term," Hermione forced a smile as she ushered the older woman from her classroom after what had felt like two hours of inane chatter.

"I'll write as soon as term starts!" the woman smiled jovially.

"Have a good summer!" Martha Lehry called as she nearly skipped down the hall.

"Tell Alex congratulations again!" Hermione called before shutting the door, then sighing and leaning against it.

"Long day?" Ren's voice preceded him into the room as he strode in from hiding in her office.

"Graduation always is," she replied, walking to him and leaning against his chest. "Everything having to look perfect, and then the ceremony takes so long, and after families always seem to want to talk..."

"I notice whoever Alex is, he didn't want to talk."

"Alex is celebrating graduation with Miss Bauner in greenhouse three, but I'm not about to tell Mrs. Lehry that," she smirked. "There's a good chance Neville has chased them out already anyways. As long as they're not trying to hide in my room they're no longer my concern." She waved her wand around, causing what was left of the room to pack itself up and neatly put itself into a closet. "There," she smiled as she waved her wand, locking the closet door. "All I have to do is finish all my grading and go to a half dozen staff meetings and I'm free until the end of August."

"Do you have a staff meeting now?" he asked.

"Not yet, not until the last straggling families leave," she sighed, starting towards the door. "But I should probably go out and see if they need help putting things away outside..."

She was tugged back by an invisible force, and had just enough time to send a quick spell to lock her door before finding herself in Ren's arms again. He didn't waste any time, ripping her robe from her and tossing it behind him. Without a word he pulled the zipper of her dress down in the back, pulling one of the straps down so he could attack the bared skin with kisses and nips. She let her head fall back onto his shoulder and she brought her hand up to run through his hair, smiling as he let off a soft noise as she gently tugged his strands. His lips explored every inch of her exposed skin as one hand played with her breasts through the fabric of her dress, and she involuntarily bucked her hips against his, feeling him growing against her backside. He occasionally pushed her face towards his so their mouths could meet, tongues running against each others, before he'd stray away again, tongue running the length of her neck before leaving a love bite above her collarbone.

"Bedroom?" she practically begged, writhing against his cock.

"I have no intentions of walking that far," he chuckled against her skin, and his hand found the hem of her dress, pulling it quickly up around her waist as his other hand pushed her forward. Her hands flew in front of her, coming down hard on one of the desks and resting on her forearms, and she spread her legs slightly to steady herself. She wasn't sure if it was his hands or magic that pulled her knickers down, and she was sure the next sensation would be him pushing into her, but instead she felt his tongue slide along her folds.

"Bloody hell," she hissed, her eyes closing and her forehead resting against the cool wood of the desk as he tongue explored her, circling her nub before probing her entrance, then repeating. When she started pushing back against him as she started to feel her orgasm coming on he slipped two fingers into her, circling her nub with his thumb as he kissed and nipped at her thighs and arse. She gripped the edge of the desk as her body tensed, clenching around his fingers as they moved inside her, before she let off a loud cry as her climax crashed over her. Ren's kept moving until she finally slumped against the desk, unsure of her own strength.

"Please," she murmured, reaching back for him as she heard him fumbling to remove enough of his clothing to release himself, and she felt him slide into her as his arm circled her waist and gently pulled her up toward him. He pulled the dress over her head as he moved in her, and he returned to kissing whatever part of her skin he could reach, bending and twisting her body to give him access as his lips and tongue ran over her. One of his hands played with her breasts as the other rested on her hip, pulling her back with each thrust, and she held one hand on the desk and the other on his thigh to steady herself and keep up with his increasing pace, her moans echoing softly off the stone walls of her room.

"Ren," she whispered as, once again, she felt the familiar coiling in her lower abdomen. His pace increased slightly as the hand that was on her hip slid around to play with her clit as her fingers dug into his flesh. Her second orgasm came just as explosively as the first, and it was all she could do to support herself on shaky arms against the desk as he pushed deep into her, letting off a soft growl as he came. He leaned forward against her, chest heaving, as they both took a moment to recover. Then he kissed her shoulder, neck, and finally mouth before sliding from her.

"That was needed," she sighed as her dress flew from where he had flung it to his open hand and he held it to her. He chuckled at something on the ground as he fastened his pants once more and she slid the dress over her head.

"I'm going to have to apologize for these," he said, holding his hand out again as her knickers came to him. She could tell they had been torn in at least two places.

"That's nothing that can't be fixed or replaced," she shrugged.

Suddenly a cat patronus burst into the room, sitting on the desk Hermione had just been leaning against.

"Professor Granger," McGonagall's voice sounded sharply. "If you don't mind joining our staff meeting..."

"Damn," Hermione hissed, already moving. "We must have been at it longer than I thought! I'll be back late, don't wait up for me!" she called as she hurried out the door.

Ren looked at the knickers still in his hand and smirked, shoving them into his pocket. He decided to head to London through the vanishing cabinet Hermione had to get Hux to the library. Neither Hux nor Hermione knew that he also used the thing, because he didn't want them to know and was more than happy to have them think he was destroying things in the forest. He didn't go to the city to find books, or visit shops, or get something to eat, skills Hux was quickly learning. Rather he visited to watch the people. His whole life had been about something bigger than himself, with no time to show concern for individuals or small groups, and now that he occasionally had some time he enjoyed just watching and comparing it to what he had known. One of his favorite moments was watching a couple argue while sitting in a park. When his mother and father had argued there was always restraint on her mind and escape on his, so things were short, terse, and they would separate from each other before anything got very heated, though he could always sense that things were would grow and explode when he wasn't in the vicinity. And, really, Han and Leia were the only two people he could really base a relationship on, since he didn't really have exposure to any other couples. Watching the random couple argue, though, was so much different. The woman was emotional, almost to the point where Ren was sure she was playing some of her emotions up, and the man seemed to thrive on the reactions she would give. He found the whole thing ridiculous and hilarious, but it got him thinking about Hermione, and whatever relationship they had. Around here they would be deemed lovers, two people who had sex and some level of emotional connection, though no true formal relationship. Hermione seemed overly cautious about putting labels on what was between them. Labels meant something. They were an announcement to others. So far only Hux knew, and he didn't seem particularly eager to tell any of the other people he occasionally spoke to about what was happening in their private quarters.

He didn't return to their quarters until after dark, stalking through the now empty corridors with a certainty that only came from spending enough time to learn the secrets of the place. Hermione's doors opened before him, the wards so attuned to his comings and goings that the minute amount of effort it took to open them without touch hardly registered anymore. Hux barely looked up from a journal he was writing in, and Ren didn't hesitate as he walked into Hermione's room. She was asleep on the bed, fingers curled around a book. He carefully moved the book away from her, marking it and setting it on the table and climbed into bed next to her. He was about to extinguish the lamps when it happened.

 _Ren..._ her voice was soft and sensual, coming in the kind of low moan she usually gave when he was buried inside her. He propped himself up on one elbow and watched her, but she hadn't appeared to move .

 _Ren..._ it came again, a little louder and in a tone that immediately sent a jolt through his body to rest in his groin. Hermione had never made that noise outside the bedroom, he was sure of it, and her lips hadn't moved at all. It was then he realized she was projecting, the sound was inside her mind and he could hear it as clearly as if she were speaking it. His brow furrowed and he frowned. Hermione never projected, her mental wards were nearly perfect, but still, as the sound of his name came through his mind a third time he was sure she was calling for him. His fingers trembled slightly as he held them above her temple, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

 _The gate was open. The gate was never opened, not once in the times he had tried to probe her mind, but there it was, opened just enough for him to slip inside. The castle above was dark, save for a very faint glow, almost like a single torch he could just see flickering inside the door. A few steps, too few, took him across the grounds and up the steps into the entrance hall. All the figures he had once seen were barely recognizable in the dark, save for two faces near the front that seemed to have the faintest of light on them. The red hair and carefully crafted features of Hux were recognizable at a distance, but the figure next to him... it took Ren a moment to recognize himself. Or, at least, the version of himself in Hermione's mind. He was different, standing tall and confident despite being as motionless as a mannequin. The scar still crossed his face, but it looked diminished, as though Hermione barely took notice of it. An odd smile played across his lips, and it was only when he attempted to mimic the feature that he realized it was the look he gave Hermione whenever she smiled at him. Involuntarily his fingers started to move towards her mind's version of him, curious to see what happened when the figure sprang to life..._

Ren! _her voice cried out, this time making him instantly hard. That was the cry Hermione gave as she came apart in his arms, her core fluttering around him, her eyes closed in ecstasy. He turned, and saw the strange glow disappearing down a flight of stairs that was never part of the castle, and he made the immediate decision to run after it. Down, down it went, the stairs seemingly endless, the occasional moan, hiss, or giggle that was so deliciously Hermione sounding through the stone corridors._

 _He emerged in what must be the dungeon area of the castle, a place he rarely saw but one he suddenly felt intimately familiar with. The glow was coming steadily from a room on his left, and he could hear the sounds of Hermione's pleasure coming from inside._

 _"Come, Ren!" she called, and he didn't need to take a step before he was standing in the open door. He saw Hermione riding a figure, body dancing slowly over her lover's as she took her time, and all Ren could see of her lover was his hands clutching at her sides. She looked up at Ren and smiled._

 _"Come, Ren," she beckoned, crooking her finger as well. "Join us."_

 _Ren took a couple steps into the room and saw it wasn't himself who was under Hermione, but Hux, his eyes hungrily roaming Hermione's body as his chest glistened with sweat. They had obviously been in this dream-like place for a while, as a number of love bites adorned her body and he had several scratches down his chest and arms._

 _"Join you?" Ren asked, surprised that he didn't feel any anger at that moment. He moved so he was next to the pair, kneeling down to look into Hermione's face. She leaned forward and gave him a slow, passionate kiss._

 _"Yes," she whispered against his lips. "I want to taste you, feel you..."_

 _"Both of us?" he asked._

 _"Yes."_

 _"Together?"_

 _"Yes," she hissed, running her fingers down his chest as his clothes disappeared under her touch. He moved back, confused, but noticed his image remained there, kissing him, touching him, running one hand over his chest and the other over Hux's. He watched as she kissed them both, took Ren into her mouth, bent over so he could slide himself into her arse..._

 _He left the room, and walked though the castle and across the grounds in a daze._

When he exited her mind he stared down at her, but nothing had changed. She was still sleeping in the same position she had been before, though, was he imagining it? Was that a tiny, satisfied smile playing on her lips?

He lowered himself onto the bed, extinguishing the lamps before taking her in his arms. Sleep would not come easily that night, he had too much to think about.


	7. Chapter 7

"We're home," Hermione announced, bracing herself as the Knight Bus screeched to a halt outside a cottage nestled in the hills of Devon.

"I have been on dozens of ships," Hux grumbled as they gathered their things and disembarked. "Crossed the galaxy several times. Entered some of the most volatile, hostile atmospheres available, and still have never experienced a ride as unpleasant as that bus."

"Don't be so dramatic. It was either that or Apparation," Hermione replied, opening the gate and crossing the garden.

"You lot are magic, I would think you could find a simple, pleasant way to travel by now."

"Perhaps that is what you can do when I turn you loose at the end of the summer," she sighed, unlocking the door. "Good news is, I have two guest rooms, so your days of sharing are over."

"That is good news," Ren said, a smile playing across his face.

"Upstairs, and you can fight over who gets which room," she said, levitating their things up the steep, narrow staircase and leading them up. There was a master bedroom to one side, and two smaller bedrooms to the other with a shared bath between them. One of the guest rooms had a larger bed, the other had two smaller, and Ren and Hux exchanged a look.

"I'm going to let you two decide," Hermione said, starting for the stairs. "I'm going to Apparate into town to get something for dinner and grab a few more things. You can unpack while I'm gone." Before waiting for a reply they heard her grab her bag from the table near the door, then Apparate away.

"I suppose you want the room with the bigger bed," Hux muttered, walking into the room with two one-person beds.

"There's something I need to speak with you about," Ren said, sending his things into his room with a wave of his hand and following Hux.

"Can it wait? That bus ride disagreed with me."

"No, I don't want Hermione to overhear," he replied, standing in the doorway.

"Go on," he crossed his arms.

"Over the past few nights I have found out some... information from Hermione."

"Was this _information_ obtained with her consent?"

"Not strictly speaking."

"Which means no," he sighed. "You couldn't help yourself, could you, Ren?"

"That is not something I'm willing to argue with you about," he snapped. "What I saw concerns you."

Hux raised an eyebrow.

"It seems I am not the only one Hermione has feelings for," he said softly.

"I haven't touched her, if that's what you're insinuating," Hux replied defensively, a flash of fear in his eyes.

"I didn't think you had," he shot back. "However, it seems that if you did she would not find it unwelcome."

"I wouldn't. She's yours, Ren," he said darkly.

"More than that, her desire doesn't seem to be limited to either of us, but rather both of us."

Hux looked stunned. "She wants two relationships."

"Yes she does, but it's a bit more complicated. When I say she wants both of us I mean she desires _both_ of us."

"At the same time?" Hux looked taken aback.

"Yes."

There was a moment where neither man spoke.

"Are you bringing this to my attention because you are entertaining the idea?" Hux asked, sounding perplexed.

"Obviously."

"I would love to hear why you suddenly have a desire to share something when you've never shown an inclination before."

"Because I care for her," he replied. "I want her happy."

"You don't think you could make her happy on your own?"

"I think it's a small sacrifice to make for someone who has made large sacrifices for us."

Hux turned his head and looked out the window for a moment while he thought. "How do you propose we approach her about this? Are you going to admit what sounds like your repeated violation of her mind?"

"I thought, perhaps, you could show your own interest in her, and when she seems open to that then we could approach the subject."

"Why would she be open to that? You're together, and she seems happy about it."

"You can try, and if she's not open to you then we can forget this conversation ever happened."

Hux nodded once, and Ren retreated from the room without saying another word.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The first two weeks of summer went by quickly, and Hux approached things carefully, falling slowly back into the charming, flirty relationship they had before she had started seeing Ren, but he seemed hesitant to go any further with Ren around. For Hermione's part she didn't notice the shift between the men, other than they were perhaps a little more polite to each other, a subtle shift she attributed to both having their own space. Away from the school their lessons were nearly constant: Hermione took them into the nearby village to teach them about England's monetary system and to teach them to shop, and around the house she had them help cook, clean, maintain the house, and even plant a small garden to provide some food during the summer. In the afternoons Hux would read as Hermione would take Ren outside to practice spellwork using her wand. Hermione kept him busy enough that he had yet to take his saber out all summer, much to her and Hux's silent relief. Ren had yet to use the room he moved into for anything other than changing his clothes, his nights were spent in Hermione's room which, to Hux's relief, had the same quieting charms on it that her rooms in Hogwarts had.

"I was thinking of staying inside today," Hermione said to Ren one day over lunch. "I know you probably hate the idea, but learning a few domestic charms never hurt."

"Actually, I was going to take a walk," Ren replied with a pointed glance at Hux. "Maybe into the village to buy some things for dinner."

"Okay. I'll come with," she said brightly.

"I was going to go alone. I think I can handle a trip to the grocery by myself."

"Oh," she raised an eyebrow. "Right. Brilliant. I'll give you some money."

"You almost look disappointed," he smirked.

"I do not feel the need to be with you all the time. You are not nearly as charming as you think you are," she smiled up at him as they stood, then she stood on tip-toe to kiss his cheek.

"I never said I thought I was charming," he pointed out as she went to retrieve her bag.

She rolled her eyes as she held out some money to him. "Do you need me to pin a note to your shirt with my address in case you get lost?" she asked innocently.

"You are not as clever as you think you are," he shot back with a wicked smile.

"Yes, I am, or so I've been told for the last twenty or so years."

He bent his head and gave her a prolonged kiss. "I know it'll be hard, but I think I can manage. I'll be back soon."

"Take care," she watched him leave, then sat back down next to Hux.

"He tries to be his father around you," Hux said softly.

"What?" she raised her eyebrow.

"I never met the man, but the stories were difficult to avoid, even when they were passed around as only stories. But from what I heard the man was attractive and, according to some of the girls who concerned themselves with that kind of story, he was 'sex personified'."

"But you don't know for sure," she chuckled.

"As I said, I never met him, but Ren does act differently with you. Considering the type of woman who he was around during his time in the Order I don't think that act would be considered attractive, but in present company..." he trailed off.

"So what else was his father supposedly like?"

"I know he was a famous smuggler," he shrugged. "Participated in the war, though the stories vary on whether it was enthusiastically or reluctantly. Knowing what I know of smugglers he must have been somewhat cocky. He was apparently charismatic enough to woo a princess..."

"Princess?" she raised an eyebrow. "I thought Ren's mother was a General?"

"She was a princess first," he shrugged. "I know more of his mother than his father, because it was more pertinent to know my enemy and I dealt with her after our surrender, but her personal life was never of much concern to me. I understand she did not like the title of 'princess' because of what happened to her planet."

"Which was?"

He looked up, unsure of how she would react. "Starkiller was not the first of its kind, remember. There were others..."

"Oh," she cut him off.

"My original point was that Ren's personality is different around you."

"Well, if he's originally sullen and short-tempered perhaps a bit of a personality shift is in order."

"It wouldn't hurt," he replied with a smile. "Would you like to do some work out in the garden?"

"Probably not a bad idea," she smiled. "If we get those pumpkins into the ground I should have a few good-sized ones for Halloween."

The garden wasn't large, and Hermione tended it with magical products, which meant things were already growing. She grabbed a basket from next to the door and they walked outside. He laid a cushion down for her to kneel on as they started to strip a patch of vines of pea pods.

"Have you given any thought to what you would like to do when I return to school?" she asked.

"None," he admitted. "I think it would be beneficial for me to spend the next week or so learning about different industries and make a decision while you're still here to help me."

"I do not want to go back to Hogwarts without making sure you're settled somewhere."

"I don't want to inconvenience you."

"Not at all," she smiled. "I took you in, it would be poor form for me to leave you unprepared and without a plan."

"You have gone above and beyond," he replied.

"It's nothing," she blushed, reaching for a bag of 'Sprout's Quick-Grow Fertilizer'. "Care to plant the pumpkins with me?"

"Of course," he nodded, standing and holding a hand to help her up. They went to the one corner of the garden that wasn't already filled with plants, and they started working the soil.

"You know, as much as I enjoy gardening with you, I doubt it is going to be one of those things I'll be doing after this summer," Hux mused as he prodded at a worm with a trowel.

"Why?" she said, picking up the worm and moving it out of the way. "It's not that difficult."

"You're using magic to make it grow quicker," he chuckled. "When I am living among the Muggles I won't have access to things like your cheater fertilizer."

"Cheater fertilizer!" she repeated, trying to sound affronted, but unable to hide her smile or chuckle.

"You plant seeds one day, and have a mature plant within a week. I may not have tended garden before, but I am quite sure the process usually takes much longer. As such, most would consider that cheating."

"I am using means necessary to take a task that would otherwise take most the summer and make it pay off nearly immediately," she replied. "If it is a commercially available product I hardly consider it cheating."

"Whatever you must tell yourself," he chuckled.

"How about you use some to grow some manners?" she smirked, flicking a little at him and hitting his shirt above his heart.

"That was mature," he chuckled, wiping it off his shirt. "And my manners are impeccable."

"Whatever you must tell yourself," she mimicked his words.

"Perhaps you should use some to grow up," he retorted, flicking the fertilizer back at her, but doing it a little too forcefully so it hit her in the cheek.

"That's it," she growled playfully, grabbing a handful of fertilizer and lunging at him, grinding it into his shirt, but he grabbed her wrist with one hand and tossed a handful of dirt at her mid-section with the other. For a full minute dirt, fertilizer, and the occasional tomato flew between them until he finally managed to grab both her wrists and hold them so she couldn't move.

"You look a mess," she laughed, looking him over.

"You are one to talk," he raised an eyebrow, but his eyes were alight and he couldn't help smiling. He dropped one of her wrists and pulled some grass out of her hair.

"I guess I'm going to have to do laundry today," she murmured, brushing some dirt from his shirt, fingers moving a little slower than necessary as she felt his muscles tense below the fabric.

He smiled, and cupped her cheek to wipe the fertilizer from her skin. "My apologies for hitting you in the face, Hermione."

"It's alright," she murmured, subconsciously pressing her cheek into his fingers. "Sometimes it's fun to be a little immature."

"Or very," he replied with a chuckle.

They were silent for several seconds as Hux's thumb continued to caress her skin. She closed her eyes and sighed, looking a little conflicted, and he decided to take his chances. He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to hers. She sighed and leaned into him, deepening the kiss and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He wrapped a hand into her hair and his other on her waist, drawing her tightly to him. As they kissed he couldn't hide the fact that her proximity and enthusiasm was turning him on, and the longer they kissed the more his erection grew until he could feel it pressing into her lower abdomen. It was this which seemed to bring Hermione back into reality.

"I can't!" she cried, breaking away from him, eyes wide. "Ren!"

In one quick motion she stood and ran into the house. He watched her go, sinking onto the ground once she had. He took a few deep breaths, then went back to tending to the garden. After the weeds were gone and the pumpkins planted he went inside, placing the basket of peas on the kitchen counter, and going upstairs to take a quick shower. Hermione was locked in her room, and he couldn't hear anything as he dressed in clean clothes and went back downstairs as Ren was coming in.

"Well?" Ren demanded, putting the bag he was carrying down.

"Hello to you, too," Hux shot back.

"Hermione is upstairs, feeling guilt. I'm assuming something happened between you that made her feel that way."

"There was, but not so much as you'd think," he sighed. "I kissed her."

"And she enjoyed it?"

"Until she remembered you," he snapped. "As soon as she did she looked frightened and ran off."

"Hermione would view what she did as cheating, and she's not the type to cheat. Which is why she's upstairs feeling guilty."

"So what you're saying is that you're going to have to show her you're okay with her having another lover."

"Probably."

Hux looked up towards Hermione's room. "I'll finish putting these things away," he muttered, digging in the bag. Ren turned and went upstairs, knocking softly on Hermione's door, and a second later he heard it unlock. He went inside and closed the door. Hermione was sitting on her bed, wearing clean clothes, her hair still damp from the shower she took. A book sat on her lap, but it was obvious she wasn't really reading it.

"Everything alright?" he asked, sitting on the bed, moving behind her, pushing her hair to the side, and kissing where her neck hit her shoulder.

"I... yes," she murmured. "Well, no. It's not. I, well... I..."

"Kissed Hux," he filled in for her.

Her head whipped around to look at him. "You know about that?" she whispered, looking afraid.

"Obviously," he smirked, turning her head to the side and kissing her neck.

"You seem remarkably unconcerned about it," she said, sounding confused but leaning back into him.

"Do you desire him?" he asked.

"Ren..."

"It's alright," he murmured, kissing her jawline. "I promise I won't be upset."

"Yes," she said tentatively.

"Do you want him, too?"

"Too?" she pulled away and turned to look at him.

"I'm not giving you up, Hermione," he smirked, reaching out to wind his fingers into her hair. "However I want you to be happy."

"I don't need a second lover to be happy," she muttered, turning her face towards his.

"But if you want to take one I'm agreeable."

"Even if that one is Hux?"

"For you, love," his hands slid to her breasts, and she moaned softly, eyes fluttering closed, body melting against his. "Should I call for him?"

"Now?" her eyes flew open and she looked at him in surprise.

"Of course," he chuckled, pulling her shirt up and over her head, then pulling her bra from her, discarding it by tossing it across the room. "What better way to introduce the two of you than having him seeing you like this?" he waved his fingers, and the door flew open, revealing Hux, who had been heading to his room. Hux stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to look, catching Hermione's eyes, seemingly unable to look away. She bit her lip, stifling a moan as Ren rolled her peaks.

"If you're joining us, you might want to come kiss her," Ren said almost lazily. "She's not going to want to wait much longer to have someone inside her."

Hux approached cautiously, and Ren backed away, going to sit in a chair next to the bed. Hux sat on the bed facing Hermione, reaching out to touch her face.

"You're alright with this?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she replied, her voice low and husky, as she reached out to unbutton his shirt.

"I can't..." he started, but stopped and swallowed hard as she pushed his shirt off and started tugging at his undershirt. He grabbed her wrist to stop her and looked her in the eyes. "It can't be just this once," he said softly.

"It won't be," she promised with a playful smile, pulling his undershirt off.

He kissed her, and she responded enthusiastically, swinging her leg over his so she settled herself on his lap. His hands slid up her sides to her breasts, massaging them and rolling her peaks as she writhed against him. He got goosebumps as her fingernails raked across his shoulders and she nibbled gently on his bottom lip.

Without warning she pulled herself away from him and moved off him so she could pull his pants off. She removed her own before kneeling down in front of him, looking in his eyes as she took his length into her mouth. Hux inhaled sharply, clutching the side of the bed as his body went rigid.

"There's no one here you need to keep your composure for, General," Ren's voice sounded in his ear. "Let go and watch her, she has such a talented little mouth."

Hux relaxed and watched Hermione's movements as though looking away might cause her to stop. Ren moved around the bed, pulling off his tunic as he moved, before sinking to the ground next to her.

"How does he taste, minx?" he asked into her hair as one of his hands slipped between her legs, fingers circling her nub lazily as her eyes fluttered shut and she let off a groan in the back of her throat that made Hux hiss as he could feel the vibrations in his cock. She groaned again as Ren slipped one finger into her, then another, her mound grinding desperately into his palm.

"Ren," she moaned, pulling herself off Hux. "Please..."

"Him," Ren ordered. "I want to watch you ride him."

Hux scrambled to lay on the bed, struggling to keep his breathing steady as Hermione climbed on top, positioned himself over his erection, and, after locking eyes with him, lowered herself slowly onto him.

"Hells," he breathed as he slid into her warm center. She placed her hands on his chest and started moving slowly against him, lifting herself off before lowering herself again. His hands rested on her hips, feeling each motion as she moved against him. She bent to kiss him, more passionately than they had before as her hair brushed his face and he slid his hands along her sides, wanting to feel as much of her as he could. Then she straightened up and looked over to Ren, beckoning him to her as she continued to grind herself against Hux. When Ren got close enough she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him roughly to her, crashing her lips into his as she reached down to undo his pants and take him into her hand. Hux guided her hips as Ren wound his fingers in her hair and held her to him.

"Kneel. Over there," she ordered against his lips, motioning to a spot by Hux's shoulder. Ren removed his pants before complying. She bent over and took him into her mouth, quickly finding a rhythm that had both men groaning in unison. She started slowly, taking her time and savoring the feeling of both men, then tilting her hips and speeding up as her body started to tense as her climax started to build. Hux's hands left her hips and started to play with her breasts, and she began to grind more incessantly against Hux, while taking as much of Ren into her mouth as she could. At last her walls tightened around Hux and, with a few quick thrusts of his hips, he sent her over the edge, quickly following her with a groan of his own. She pulled herself off Ren so she could catch her breath, but Hux pulled her down to kiss her. Above them Ren chuckled softly.

"I'm not through with you, Hermione," he murmured, then he nudged Hermione's shoulder. She took the hint, lying down next to Hux. Ren nestled himself between her legs before sliding into her. Hux turned over, nuzzling and sucking on her breasts while two of his fingers found her clit and started to circle. It wasn't long before she found herself close again, and Hux moved to kiss her neck as Ren lowered his head and flicked his tongue against her peak.

"Come, our beautiful witch," Hux whispered. "Come apart for us."

Her head fell back and her eyes closed, her breath becoming ragged as she tightened against Ren, who had tensed with the effort of fighting off his own release until she shuddered and came with a loud cry, and he spilled into her with a shaky exhale. She kissed Ren, then Hux before Ren laid next to her. She moved so she was resting on his chest, but reached behind her to pull Hux to her. The blanket at the foot of the bed pulled itself up to their chests and the curtains drew against the setting sun. She turned her head to give Hux a long, slow kiss, then turned back to give Ren the same before settling against his chest and falling asleep.

"She looks happy," Hux whispered once he was sure she was in a deep enough sleep she wouldn't wake.

"That's all I want for her," Ren replied.

"Me as well," he nodded, lightly kissing her shoulder. "She is a fantastic woman."

He nodded in agreement before kissing the top of Hermione's head and closing his eyes, following her into sleep moments later. Hux stayed up a while, looking at them both pensively before finally settling against Hermione's body and falling asleep as well.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I lied about my posting timeline. I have to go back to work tomorrow, and since that means I'm going to be busy I'm going to finish posting this today.**

 **This is the last chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading and double thanks to those who left reviews!**

"Granger!" Fred and George shouted in unison as they stood and waved their arms comically. "Granger!" they shouted again, drawing the eye of nearly everyone attending the Order of the Phoenix's Christmas party held in the expansive library of the now-spruced up Grimmauld Place, and she felt eyes following her as she darted through the crowded room to the table where the twins were standing and where Harry, Ginny, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Charlie Weasley were sitting.

"Evening, Granger," Fred said with a mischievous smile.

"Aren't we looking ravishing tonight?" George added a little too innocently.

"Thank you," she replied, to her credit keeping any hint of her growing nerves out of her voice.

"Found a place to sit yet?" Fred asked.

"We saved you a seat here," George said, motioning to the middle chair of an empty set of three.

"We heard you might be bringing a guest."

"Or two."

"We wanted to make sure we saved enough room."

"For you and your..."

"Guests," they finished together, smug smiles playing across their lips.

Hermione looked around the table to see expectant eyes looking back at her. Thus far she had kept her relationship with Ren and Hux as secret as possible. Neville knew, which wasn't a surprise, she was closest to him during the school year. McGonagall knew as well, which was why she turned a blind eye to the Muggle who often went running on the grounds very early in the morning. Other than that she hadn't told anyone and, since most of their time was spent at Hogwarts, her friends had no reason to know. But as she saw their eager expressions, and Harry's somewhat concerned one, she knew her secret wasn't so secret anymore.

"Can I ask how you found out?" she asked, taking the seat.

"Your godson might have mentioned something," Fred beamed.

"In the middle of Sunday dinner a couple weeks ago," George added.

"Excuse me?" she raised an eyebrow and looked at Harry.

"James thought it quite important to announce that he saw Aunt Hermione kissing _two_ boys that night you were there babysitting him and Teddy," Fred announced.

"And Teddy confirmed the information," George nodded.

"Those little... tell those two I want the Chocolate Frogs I gave them to keep quiet back," she grumbled to Harry, and the rest of the table started laughing, though her best friend still looked conflicted.

"So where are your gentlemen?" Ginny asked.

"Hux stopped at the loo and Ren went to get drinks," she replied.

"Why don't you tell us a little about them? Harry seems to know, but he's not saying anything," she sighed, elbowing Harry.

"He's not saying because he's trying to be a good friend," she gave Harry a small smile. "I know this relationship is concerning to him."

"I want you happy, Hermione," Harry said softly. "But..."

"I know," she interrupted. "And I'm not going to say your concerns aren't justified because they are."

"You're sucking the fun out of the scandal, Granger," Fred frowned.

"What are you talking about?" George asked.

"Harry knows that Hux and Ren have done some horrible things in the past. He knows that what they did was bad enough to get them exiled from a galaxy..."

"Out of a _galaxy_?" Charlie asked. "How the ruddy hell...?"

"It is a long story, and one I'd rather not say so publicly. And the truth of the matter is I'm not going to tell you everything. The short of it is that I took them in to teach them about our world to help them survive in it. When I did that it was with the understanding that their exile had been punishment enough, but that if I thought they might go back to their old ways I would not hesitate to turn them over to law enforcement here."

"They obviously must not be doing what they did before," Angelina said. "I mean, you're more forgiving than most, Hermione, but I don't see you starting a relationship with a couple of bad men."

"It is an interesting situation," she admitted. "And I'm glad Harry cares enough to be concerned. But it was my choice to start this and I'd really rather people not make it into a bigger spectacle than it is."

"Is everything alright?" Hux's voice sounded behind her, and she involuntarily smiled as her friends' heads whipped to look at him in unison. Hux's hand came to rest protectively on her shoulder, and a moment later she felt a hand on her other shoulder and knew Ren must have arrived as well. She didn't need to see their faces, her friends' expressions were enough to know that her lovers could still present an intimidating front.

"Yes," she smiled, motioning for them to sit, and Ren handed her a glass of wine before taking the seat to her right as Hux sat to her left. For a moment the table was silent, but the twins seemed to recover first.

"Gred and Forge Weasley," they said in unison, holding out their hands. "Pleasure."

"Likewise," Hux replied with a nod. "May I inquire as to which is Gred and which Forge?"

Hermione heard Ren snicker and she elbowed him before saying, "This one is _Fred,_ and that is _George_ and they fancy themselves two of the funniest people on the planet."

"Come off it, Hermione," Fred laughed.

"You always did like spoiling our fun," George sighed dramatically.

"You have been running that joke since before I met you," she replied with a straight face. "Time to get some new material."

Dinner was served then, and the conversation got casual as people were more focused on eating as much food as they could. But when Hermione got up to use the restroom she found herself cornered before she could return to the library.

"Quite the turnaround, Hermione," the cool voice sounded before Severus stepped out of the shadows and blocked her way. "I do believe a half year ago you were begging me to kill them."

"Things change," she murmured, though she knew she didn't sound convincing.

"Enlighten me," he demanded. "How did they go from being so irredeemable that you, the girl with near legendary levels of compassion, wanted them dead to having them both warming your bed at night?"

"You make it sound as if this is some declaration of my undying love for them. It's not," she shot back.

"So you don't love them?" he raised an eyebrow.

"It's complicated," she replied, her voice more even now. "Kind of like it was complicated with you. Except in the somewhat opposite way. I wanted to love you, I really did, but I kept those emotions at bay as best I could because I didn't want to give my heart to someone who refused to take it. All you had to do was tell me, and I would have been yours. With Ren and Hux... I don't want to have strong emotions for them. Not yet. I'm still conflicted about their pasts. But I can't seem to help myself. I can't bottle it up like I did with you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you feel... influenced in any way to be in this situation?"

"No," she shook her head. "This is completely of my own desires."

"I just... advise you caution, Hermione."

"Trust me, despite certain exploits and appearances I am being quite cautious."

He looked at something over her shoulder. "Be cautious with your trust," he hissed before turning and sweeping down the hallway towards the front door.

"Is everything alright?" she heard Hux ask behind her, and she turned with as much a smile as she could muster.

"Yes," she nodded.

"You are not a very skilled liar, Hermione," he said, brushing some hair away from her face.

"Severus was just... being Severus. He's a suspicious man, and he is concerned at the speed of this relationship."

"He warned you to be cautious with your trust. Answer me honestly, Hermione," he murmured, placing a hand on either side of her face to keep her looking at him. "Do you trust us?"

She studied his face for a long moment. "Simply put? No. Not yet. Not in the way most people in our situation would normally trust each other."

"And the complex version?"

"I haven't known either of you long enough, and I don't know enough of your past to truly trust you. However, I trust Ren more than I trust you," she admitted. "Ren wears his emotions on his sleeve. It's easier to tell his motivations because it's easier to read him. You are so closed off, so guarded..."

"Good girl," he smiled. "I confess I'd be disappointed with a different answer."

"You're happy I don't trust you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No, I said I'd be disappointed if you did. You are a beautiful woman, there is no denying that, but what drew me to you was your mind. You are intelligent, and you are logical, and those things fascinate me. You know that you are taking all the risk, you have so much to lose and we have so much to gain. It would be disappointing to find you threw those traits to the wind and trusted Ren and I so quickly knowing what you do of us."

"So you never want me to trust you?"

"Of course I want you to, eventually," he smiled. "But best make us earn it. And sex does not earn trust."

"True, though that doesn't give you an excuse to slack on that aspect," she smirked.

He chuckled once and kissed her, slowly at first, but he quickly deepened the kiss, pressing her against the wall. They got lost in the moment, and Hermione was about to ask if he wanted to go upstairs when they both felt a presence next to them and turned to see Ren, holding a drink and smirking.

"You truly are the most annoying man I've ever met," Hux grumbled.

"You're projecting," Ren replied. "I thought if we were escaping this party that I would join you, though I don't think it wise. Ron says his mother is looking for you, Hermione, and she seems the type to search the house for you."

"She'd be breaking down every door," Hermione sighed, straightening her dress and hair. She took Hux's arm and Ren's hand as they went back into the library, and she made a beeline for the Weasley matriarch.

"Happy Christmas, Mrs. Weasley," she smiled.

"There you are!" Molly spun around, immediately pulling Hermione into a hug. "Happy Christmas! It's been too long since you've come around!"

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I've been so busy."

"So I've heard," she said, glancing at Ren and Hux.

"Call me Ren," he said with a nod.

"Armitage Hux, ma'am," Hux stepped forward and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled widely. "See, Bill?" she pulled her eldest seemingly out of nowhere. "You would look so nice with that haircut."

"Thanks, Mum," Bill rolled his eyes but grinned before introducing himself.

"So, this is why you called him Bill when you first met?" Ren murmured to Hermione.

"You see the resemblance, then?"she replied softly.

"No," he smirked. "Bill is nowhere near as stiff as the General."

She giggled and Hux shot them both a dark look before turning back to Bill, who was introducing Fleur.

"May I speak to you, Hermione?" Molly asked.

"Of course," she said, motioning towards a small table in a corner. Harry and Ginny appeared as if planned, starting a conversation so he couldn't follow.

"I have heard a few things," Molly said, sitting. "And I thought I'd ask the source, though I'm not sure how many questions need asking anymore."

"We haven't really been hiding it today. It's been a while, probably a good time to come clean."

"Harry seems worried."

"I'm not surprised," she sighed. "Ren and Hux are not the type of men I'm sure anyone would have wanted me to end up with. It's why we've been hiding our relationship so long."

"I trust you, Hermione," she smiled warmly. "I'm not going to chastise you. If you remember I was the one who encouraged you to pursue Severus when you were interested in him."

"I appreciate that, Molly."

"My brother, Fabian, was in a triad relationship," she said.

"Really?" she sounded surprised.

"A couple Ravenclaw girls, Carol and Rosemary. They were best friends, as close to twins as they could be without being related, and when he started dating Rosemary it somehow became a thing with Carol, too. I was wondering for the longest time if Fred and George would be in one as well, since they seem to do everything else in their lives together. Part of the reason Fabian fought so viciously when the Death Eaters came for them was because they had already killed Carol and Rosemary, so he was fighting to avenge his loves and save his brother."

Hermione glanced at Ren and Hux. "I knew magical persons occasionally form triad relationships. I had read about it when I was young, and the night Ren and I became a couple I found some information on them again in a book... but from what I can tell they've never involved a Muggle."

"Just remember that, historically, the records have been somewhat anti-Muggle. Any such relationships probably would have been scrubbed from the record. You are Hermione Granger. Do not let precedent concern you, you never have before."

She smiled. "Thank you, Molly."

The party continued on until most of the guests knew their choice was to go home while still sober enough to do so, or to stay the night. The library cleared slowly, and Hermione pulled Hux and Ren into the rest of the house.

"This place has so many memories," she said softly. "It was a lot dingier back then. And Kreacher still lived here, which didn't make it all that pleasant. He's at Hogwarts, now, and we're happy to avoid each other, though Harry has promised he'll come back in the end..." she motioned towards the wall of elf heads.

"Your grandfather's helmet suddenly doesn't seem so odd," Hux said to Ren, raising an eyebrow.

"Harry suggested we stay here tonight so we can get up with the kids tomorrow. Most of the Weasleys are staying."

"Didn't you tell us that children are often quite excited by the holiday?"

"I'm leaving their parents to get them ready tonight, but, yes, tomorrow morning Father Christmas will have come and there will be presents and they will be quite excited and probably loud. We'll just remember to put silencing charms on the room and I'll set the alarm for a reasonable time."

As if on cue there was the sound of four or five kids shrieking in excitement at a plate of Christmas cookies came down the hall.

"Let's go to bed, or they'll want us to help," she said, hurrying up the stairs. She entered the room she and Ginny had shared during the war. It had been given a remodeling since then, gone were the ancient furnishings and faded walls, replaced by a warmer, brighter room with a crackling fireplace and none of the judgmental portraits lining the walls. As soon as the door was closed Ren pushed her against it, crashing his lips into hers. He wasted no time finding the zipper on the side of her dress and roughly pulling it down, then pulled the dress down by the sleeves and letting the fabric fall to the floor, leaving her wearing nothing but a thin pair of knickers. He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding her hips against his as her fingers dug into the fabric on his back. His hands played with her breasts as his body pushed her against the door for support, and his lips left hers to ravage her neck.

"You certainly are impatient today, Ren," Hux casually remarked after letting them carry on a bit, sitting in the center of the bed, already nude.

"You were thinking it earlier," Ren shot back, though he put Hermione down. "I just made the first move."

"Are you feeling left out?" Hermione asked, crossing to the bed and climbing on next to him, not waiting for his response to start kissing him. She slid her hand down his chest before wrapping her fingers around his cock and slowly starting to work him. Ren moved behind her, lifting her hips so she was on her knees. He slapped her arse softly, kneading the flesh after, and when she moaned her approval he tried again, a little harder, spanking her several times before leaning down to kiss the red marks he had left behind. When Ren's tongue touched her folds her lips left Hux's and she started moving down his chest, kissing, nipping, and trailing her tongue lazily over her lover. Occasionally she'd pause, just for a heartbeat, when Ren's ministrations caused her brain to go fuzzy, but soon she found herself positioned over Hux's erection. Behind her Ren moved, and when she lowered her mouth onto Hux Ren pushed into her from behind. Ren set the rhythm of the group, when he entered her she was pushed down on Hux, and when he pulled back she was lifted up. They moved slowly at first, and she had time to swirl her tongue around Hux before taking him fully into her mouth once more with each motion, but as Ren started moving faster she did her best to hallow her cheeks and use one hand to cup him and gently squeeze with each movement.

"Ren..." Hux said through clenched teeth as it became apparent he was fighting his orgasm.

Ren apparently didn't need verbal communication. He pulled out of Hermione as he pulled her up into a kneeling position, starting to kiss her neck and play with one of her breasts. Hux's mouth found her other peak, and she clung to Hux's shoulders to support herself as her legs started to feel weak. Hux's fingers slid between her legs, moving through her folds to get slick before starting to circle her nub. Ren pulled away from her for a moment, and then she felt his lubed-up finger circle her tightest hole before pressing slowly in. Her head fell back onto Ren's shoulder and she started moving her hips, pressing into Hux's touch before moving back to take Ren's finger deeper into her. She hissed when a second of Ren's finger's joined the first, and Hux moved to kiss her again.

"Ready?" Ren whispered in her ear.

"Yes," she breathed.

"Down," he ordered, waving his hand at Hux, who found himself flung onto his back.

"I hate it when you do that," Hux growled, but he pulled Hermione on top of him, reaching between them to get himself into position and push into her. He thrust several times into her before stopping as Ren positioned himself behind her. She felt him apply more lube to her, then felt him pressing against her hole.

"Relax," Ren murmured, and she took a few deep breaths and concentrated on relaxing her body before she felt him press into her. When he was fully inside he paused, waiting for her to indicate she was ready for them to move. When she nodded Ren moved first, slowly, cautiously, until she started moving herself. Hux fell into a practiced rhythm, making sure his motions were the opposite of Ren's while also kissing whatever of Hermione's skin he could reach. The men seemed to communicate wordlessly, speeding up with each other as Hermione started to show signs of nearing climax. Hux's hands tightened on her hips and his jaw tightened as she clenched around him, and he spilled into her when she let off a cry as her orgasm crashed over her. Above her Ren let off a soft growl as her climax also brought about his. The three stayed where they were, panting, for a minute before Ren pulled out of Hermione, and lifted her off Hux, pulling her down onto the bed in his arms. Hux gently kissed Hermione before settling next to her, and Hermione had just enough presence of mind to reach across him, grab her wand, and set the old alarm clock in the room before dropping the wand to the floor and falling asleep between her two lovers.

XXXXXXXXXXX

 **20 years later...**

 _6 May_

 _Tomorrow is the election, and every poll shows me with a commanding lead. Impressive for someone whose wife had to forge all the necessary documents to make me appear a legitimate citizen. I was surprised at how little caution Hermione showed when I expressed an interest in politics. Not to say that she showed no hesitation, there was some there, but in the end I won her as I appear to be winning the voters, though for different reasons. The voters are easy to read, desperate for a message of hope and unification, and that's exactly what I have been feeding them. Hermione believes in my leadership abilities, and considers the turnaround in my attitude one of her greatest triumphs. It is because of her I must be cautious in my aspirations. Too much too quickly will cause her suspicion, and she is necessary to my advancement, and not just as the woman on my arm._

 _One of the most difficult decisions I have had to make upon entering the political arena concerned my unusual relationship. The voters love a man dedicated to his family, especially one with such a beautiful and intelligent wife as Hermione. However, it's not possible to hide the fact that our older two children so resemble Ren. I could hardly ignore the elder two while appearing with young Leia. Hermione would never agree to hiding Ren, and it is not as though the man himself would not skulk around my events, looking murderous if I dared try. If I were to use Hermione, Ren was part of the package, and, despite the initial negative reaction, voters seem to have forgiven me my sexual exploits. It helps that my opponent also had multiple partners, though his were not aware of each other. And the voters cannot get enough of Hermione, though she is so busy with her job she is not seen as often as they would like. However I dare not ask her to cut down on her job, if I intend to rise to the highest political office at the time she is instilled as Minister of Magic I must encourage her busy schedule now, as it is imperative that we both rise to power at the same time. I wish us to be unstoppable, and I know that patience now will be rewarded in the end. Not all plans can fall into place as quickly and flawlessly as my original._

 _It is time to confess, to any future generations who may be reading this: I fully orchestrated the romance between Hermione, Ren, and myself. It was a calculated move on my part. Devoid of any armies or command of really anything save my own thoughts I found myself feeling powerless, and the sense was compounded by my two companions being two of the most powerful beings in this world. I lamented this shift in power at first, especially around Ren, but soon came to see how it could be used to my advantage. After all, I was in the unique position of being a 'Muggle' (as Hermione calls them) among the magical, and close enough to at least Ren (despite his continued hostility toward me) that I could see the potential in having ties to his abilities. But while his abilities are formidable they are first matched by Hermione's, then exceeded by her connections within her world. If I wished to make a name for myself anywhere on this planet I knew the best way to start would be attaching myself to the arm of someone whose name already commanded respect._

 _I understand this probably comes off somewhat cold and calculating when it comes to my marriage, and while I cannot deny there is some truth to that, I will admit that my feelings for Hermione are much more complicated than they appear. Before I viewed her as a political asset I did see her as a potential match. She is intelligent, caring, compassionate, and attractive; all assets that one would find desirable in their mate, though she may have been a little too emotional for my tastes. My first thoughts of courting her were not for political gain, but rather because I viewed her as a desirable partner. My plans did not start to form until I noticed Ren also had an eye for her (though he would deny any attraction, I suspect a holdover from his training, or maybe his lack of experience in talking to women who weren't either in uniform or his mother). Did I need Ren as another physical partner? No, and I still do not to this day. However it was at about this time that I came upon a book that informed me that a relationship such as ours strengthens the natural power of the magical participants. That planted the proverbial seed in my head. I may not have the ability to strengthen the magic of either of Hermione or Ren, but in being the solid foundation of their somewhat emotional, or in Ren's case dramatic, lives I gave them some strength to build from, and thus took two already strong individuals and made them each into something it would be hard to match._

 _Once the idea was in my head implementation was somewhat simple. Another holdout from our First Order days was Ren's hatred of seeing me happy, or seeing me with something he desired. As soon as I made my desire for Hermione known he attempted to block me while also awkwardly pursuing Hermione in his own way. Trust Ren to act like a child with a toy: he does not want it until someone else attempts to play with it, then he must have it himself and will do whatever it takes to make it his. I let him have her first, I knew that they had to have the foundation of a relationship before I could introduce myself into the mix, though I knew waiting too long would make Hermione less open to the idea of adding a second partner. Luckily Ren was more skilled at courting than I took him for, or perhaps Hermione was more willing to take the lead, and I did not have to take long to make my own move. In retrospect it was a stroke of luck that Hermione desired us both, and that Ren was so fearful of losing someone who trusted him so intimately that he was willing to indulge her. What I thought would be one of the most difficult hurdles to jump turned out to be the easiest. If one were to write a biography of my life here would be where the story turns into a basic plot, slightly complicated by a triad rather than a pairing, but not otherwise remarkable. We spent a couple years together, growing as a unit and figuring our places in the world as a whole before we decided to make the relationship official through a magical binding ceremony (in the Muggle world Hermione and I are legally bound for trivial reasons, we never made an attempt to hide Ren as a third partner), and shortly thereafter came the children, all strong in magic and intelligent. The strength of my family should serve me well, and should make it easier to implement..._

"Shouldn't you be campaigning?" Hermione's voice preceded her into the room, giving Hux enough time to close the diary and pick up a folder containing the latest information pertaining to the upcoming election.

"I have three speeches this afternoon," he replied turning to her and standing up as a smile came across his face. "I thought I would take this morning to relax. Are the children back yet?"

"The Knight Bus dropped them off ten minutes ago. They're in their rooms, changing into Muggle attire," she replied as he took her into his arms. "Elena seems to have gotten this wild idea that she'll be spending at least a week of her summer at the Malfoy's."

"And why would she be doing that?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure this means things are serious with Scorpius. She's having a hard time taking 'we need to talk about this' as an answer."

"That girl is too much like Ren," he sighed. "And where is he this morning?"

"Harry borrowed him for an interrogation."

"Heaven help the poor soul on the hot seat," he smiled.

"Mum," a tall, lanky boy with wavy black hair and Hermione's warm brown eyes entered the room. "Will I be back in time for Quidditch practice on Thursday? We're playing Gryffindor next week for the championship, and I can't miss too many practices."

"Yes," she nodded. "You've got exams coming up as well, so tomorrow I'll help you, Elena, and Leia set up study schedules as well."

"Mum!" he groaned.

"Henry!" Hux cut in sternly. "You will do as your mother says, understand?"

"Yes, father," he nodded.

"I'll make sure she doesn't interfere with your training schedule... or too much with Lily," he added with a conspiratorial grin.

"Armitage Hux!" Hermione groaned.

"I've seen your schedules, love," he replied. "And I know your priorities. I'm just trying to make sure our children don't wind up in the hospital ward from stress."

"Thanks, father," Henry replied with a lopsided grin as Ren entered the room.

"Dare I ask what gave you the cat that ate the canary grin?" Ren asked Henry.

"Best you don't know, dad," he replied before hurrying from the room.

"He reminds me too much of my father when he smiles like that, and it doesn't bode well for us," he looked at Hermione and Hux, who kept straight faces as they shrugged like they didn't know what was going on.

"Daddy!" a young girl with red hair came bounding into the room throwing her arms around Ren's middle.

"Hello, young one," he smiled. Hermione and Hux exchanged looks. Leia, the youngest of their three, was the one who had been obviously fathered by Hux, but she had taken a shining to Ren in the birthing room, calming only when placed into his arms, and thus earning her the name passed down from his mother.

"Can we go out with the saber?" she asked excitedly.

Ren looked up at Hermione, who shot him a look. "The wooden ones," he answered. "And not for too long, we've got to go to the General's speeches this afternoon."

Hux rolled his eyes, but Leia giggled. She gave Hux a quick hug before bounding off to her room to get dressed, leaving the adults alone for a moment.

"So, how are things looking for tomorrow?" she asked, reaching for the notes, but Hux took her hand and raised it to his lips.

"It's looking very good for me," he replied, kissing the tips of each of her fingers as Ren pulled her hair to the side and started kissing her neck. "I have champagne chilling for tomorrow in case a celebration is needed."

She let off a satisfied noise. "Why do I feel that's not the only celebration that will be happening?" she asked softly.

"Because we can't keep our hands off you," Ren replied matter of factly.

"Gross," came a noise from the doorway, and they turned to see Elena rolling her eyes.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, breaking away from Hux and Ren.

"Can you help me find my blue dress?"

Hermione nodded, smiling at her lovers before following her daughter from the room.

"Daddy! Let's go!" Leia's voice called, and Hux would swear he saw Ren smiling before leaving himself. Hux made sure the coast was clear before putting the diary in a secret compartment in his desk and striding from the room, ready to finish the campaign and start his rise to power.


End file.
